Everything on the Fringe
by BlackMoth95
Summary: Charlie and his family are having some...problems. And then on top of that a strange woman sends a threatening letter to the Academy demanding Lyell let her stay at their school. Let the drama begin!
1. Chapter 1

A Chat with the King

"Happy birthday dear Vivienne, happy birthday to you!" Little Vivienne blew out all three of her candles and gave a clap of joy.

Diamond Corner gleamed in candle light on Sunday evening. It was April the third and already warm outside. The sun's brilliant orange color seeped in between the tree trunks and cast the house in a beautiful glow. The kitchen windows were open and the curtains billowed in the breeze. Wind chimes could be heard calling from the porch. Charlie had gotten used to the peaceful silence.

Inside; Amy, Lyell, Charlie, Grandma Maisie, Billy, Paton, Julia, and Emma huddled around the gleeful toddler. Lyell began to cut the princess plaid cake.

"Charlie, honey can you get out the plates?" asked Amy as she plucked the candles out of the frosting. Charlie was sitting with his back slumped.

Over the past few years he had become rather long bodied like his mom, but stickly and tall like his great uncle and father. Charlie's face had slimmed down and his cheekbones were pronounced. His shock of hair had begun to curl with his father around the ends.

Now, he jolted up from his place and sauntered/sulk/swayed over to the cupboard. Charlie's friends had nicknamed his strange swagger "the chalk" mixing Charlie's name with walk.

"Wacha' wish for hun'?" Charlie heard his dad ask.

"I can't tell you dat' daddy," Vivienne replied matter-of-factly. Lyell stuck out his tongue and shook his head at his daughter and then kissed her forehead. Vivienne wiped it off. Charlie came back with a stack of plates. A little one was on top. He handed it to his dad.

"Alright Vivienne which piece do you want?" Vivienne frowned.

"I don't want that plate." Charlie rolled his eyes and moaned. "Billy gets a big plate! Why can't I have one!" Billy put up his hands ready to defend himself.

"Vivienne! It's a plate! Billy and I are nearly ten years older than you and therefore, eat more!"

"But I'm a big girl now! I weaw pull ups and everyding!" Vivienne was about to pop. "I three now Charwee!"

"Yes! You're three, congrats! But you're still the little brat you were five seconds ago!" Charlie let out the breath he had been holding in. He had gone too far.

"Charlie Bone not another word out of your mouth until tomorrow morning." Commanded his dad. Charlie turned to get another plate but saw that Uncle Paton had already gotten one. He grabbed it from him and slid it on the table with a _clank_ and left.

The next morning, Charlie awoke to find that he had fallen asleep in the clothes he had worn the night before. He laughed at himself and put on a clean pair of jeans and a white shirt. He grabbed his jacket off of his bedpost.

These jackets had been ordered for all the previous Bloor's students who came back with out the Bloors. Or those who were new. They were metallic blue, green and purple. Gold lay under the arms and down the side. Each jacket had your last name over your shoulder blades and on the left breast zip pocket; what you played, weather you drew, sculpted or painted, or if you danced or acted etc.. He liked slipping these on much more than the old capes that were thrown out. But a few were kept in the drama department's costume shop as props.

Charlie made his way down the stairs and smelled breakfast. He popped into the kitchen and saw a ham and cheese sandwich with orange juice at his seat. Billy was nearly done with his. Lyell was washing his plate in the sink. Amy had already taken Vivienne to the baby sitter. Bone's Academy didn't start until nine o'clock now so they didn't have to be there until eight. But Charlie and his father didn't speak to each other until they were approaching the black car by the curb.

"Let me drive today Charlie," Lyell told his son. Charlie swerved around his dad and slid into the passenger seat. Lyell's and Billy's door closed with a _chunk. _He started the engine but didn't start talking until they hit high street. Charlie was watching the buildings fly by when his dad said, "What's up Charlie?" Charlie blinked and pulled his gaze from the window exhaustedly and looked at Billy.

"What are you talking about?" he asked casually, making scarce eye contact. He said this a little too casually.

"Hmph," scoffed Lyell, "You and Vivienne. That's what. You two hate each other! It's like watching a little Uncle Paton and Grandma Bone."

"It's just a brother sister thing dad."

"Uhh, _no_ it's not! You're obviously very different; I see that, but Charlie you have to be the bigger person! Vivienne's three. THREE! Everything you say Viv' thinks must be true because you're older and therefore you must be telling the truth. She doesn't understand the 'I'm-yelling-at-you-because-I'm-mad' thing. Just try to cool it, ok?"

"Whatever." Charlie scoffed. Lyell parked the car outside of the Academy. Charlie wanted to say so much more but didn't know how. He wanted to tell his dad that he just wanted to hang out with him or kick the soccer ball around in the yard. Vivienne free. But how could he say that?

"Billy can you leave us for a while? I'll see you later."

"Bye," he said sheepishly. He gave Charlie a reassuring smile and left the car.

"You want to know what I think?" Lyell asked slightly rhetorically.

_Not really,_ Charlie thought. But he was good at keeping to himself.

"You're mom and I think there's a little jealousy going on."

Charlie snapped his head to look at his dad and sat straight up in his seat, something rarely ever done. This accusation was NOT true in Charlie's eyes. Vivienne could have her daddy all she wanted. He didn't mind. Charlie just didn't like _her._ Or so Charlie thought. All Charlie felt was a yearning for his little sister to grow up, nothing else. He was about to say something but Lyell went on.

"Charlie I know that it was not fair for me to go off and be hypnotized without asking you first," A smile passed through Charlie's lips, "but it wasn't really a picnic for me either. I wanted to be your dad. I wanted to see you use a real glass and I wanted to see you start talking the right way, and I wanted to make home videos of you doing hilarious things in the bathtub." Lyell closed his eyes and opened them again. "But I got to teach you how to drive. And I get to see you get married. Jeez Charlie I hate bringing on the mushy stuff but sometimes you leave me no choice." Lyell hit the steering wheel lightly with his fist and looked away from his son.

"Dad, I don't like _hearing_ the mushy stuff."

"Hmm," Lyell chuckled in his throat, "Well look at that! We agree on something. But, your temper literally runs in the family. You gotta' learn to keep it down" Lyell began to get out of the car but turned back to his son. "…especially when talking to emotional pre- schoolers. I love you Charlie." Lyell was now completely out of the car and was making his way past the swan fountain. Charlie shook his head, slung his bag over his shoulder and got out of the car as the first music bus approached the sidewalk.

The Academy was a new place a full semester later. Crab apple trees were planted, new stone placed, windows shined, and shingles were replaced. Most notable of the renovations were the oak doors. Instead of the old horrible doors that creaked with every move, new pristine glass doors stood looming over the students. They were all glass with enchanting designs etched in the surface. And just inside the door was a huge mat that read, WELCOME TO BONE'S ACADEMY. It was Billy's idea.

Presently, Charlie walked up to the bus he knew so well. Two of his friends were pushing their way through the kids and off the bus. Charlie waved at the bus driver.

"Charlie Bone," remarked Fidelio Gunn, Charlie's closest friend here at the Academy. Charlie smiled and turned to walk with him and Gabriel Silk.

These two had also changed a lot over the years. Fidelio had defiantly filled out but he wasn't really over weight. His muscles popped from his skin when he moved and he had rock star hair that he was constantly flipping out of his eyes with a quick shake of his head. Gabriel on the other hand, was skinny. Not lanky like Charlie but skinny. He had extremely long fingers which he used to play the piano. One thing that had not changed about Gabe was the one word that always would describe him. He was droopy. His eyes were a sad color and turned down at the corners. Gabe almost never smiled but he could look alert and awake on a good day. Even his shaggy hair fell lifeless on his head.

Fidelio and Gabe also dressed quite differently. Fidelio was more of a jeans and T-shirt sort of guy. While Gabriel wore dark shirts, black skinny jeans and converse. They were a sight to be beheld, but the three boys strutted up the stairs of the Academy and in, like they owned the place.

Inside, the school had been completely transformed. The musty, dusty floors had been polished, mopped and swept. Crazy sculptures were in the place of the huge gothic columns and wonderful velvet curtains draped the long new windows. They were drawn back though, to let the light in the magnificent newly decorated main hall. Children were dotted through the enormous expanse but more were quickly flooding in. Among them was Olivia Vertigo and Asa Pike. Gabriel was the first to notice.

"Look who's here," he remarked unexcitedly. Charlie and Fido turned to say hello to their friends.

Asa…was huge. He was now well over 250 pounds but his muscles stretched his light blue shirt over his chest and arms. He still had wild red hair but it now could be seen spiked on his head. Asa looked like the opposite of the young lady beside him. Olivia had lately been dialing down the outlandish outfits she usually wore. Today she sported fitted jeans tucked into slender, glittery, silver boots that came up to her knee. Underneath her purple jacket, she wore an equally outstanding shirt to match her boots.

"Good morning, good morning, good morning," Olivia called in crecendo even before she was close. The boys mumbled greetings. Gabriel was the only one awake.

And then the green buses arrived. In a few minutes, Emma, Tancred and Lysander walked in. Olivia enthusiastically waved to her best friend who was holding the boy's hand with the electrified hair. Lysander and Tancred also wore t-shirts and jeans while Emma had on a short dress and leggings.

"How's it going gentlemen, and lady?" Lysander asked.

Tancred was almost as tall as his dad now and wrapped his thick arms around Emma's tiny waist. She sort of got lost in Tancred. Tancred's face was very bony; his chin and cheekbones pronounced. Emma on the other hand was quite thin. She was built like Charlie only she was a girl. She was very lanky, but not so much that it left you wondering if she was a model. Emma's hair was still light blond and it reached well below her shoulder blades. And of course, Lysander. He really just stayed the same as he was when he was twelve. He was a bit larger, his face slimmed down, but other than that, he hadn't changed.

"Morning Liv'," Charlie said with a smug grin. Olivia beamed.

"Charlie?" Emma asked, "Wasn't it your sisters birthday over the weekend?"

"Yeah," Charlie replied. The talk in the car came rushing back.

"Oh, she's so cute," Olivia squealed, "I wish she was my sister.

"You can have her," offered Charlie. The guys laughed. Their chuckles were noticeably louder than normal and soon all found out why.

All the students in the hall fell silent. Only the _clop clop_ of someone's high heels echoed off of the walls. It was true; many things _had _changed since the Bloors left, but not the discipline, rules of silence in the halls. Sure there was a little lee way, but not much. And here to make sure rules were followed was the head prefect, Miss Hap.

Miss Hap was a short woman; no more than five foot five. She had dark brown hair, almost black and the same color eyes. She had a very blank face most of the time. Hannah, which was her name, stood in the middle of the hall and looked around.

She now took her place. Today she was wearing her pitch black prefect jacket over a dark purple dress. The clopping came from her high stiletto boots.

Every one started buzzing again, but without talking.

Monday was the boring Monday that every one in a public school complains about. Slow, uneventful and down right tiresome. Charlie yawned away his first five periods. He ate lunch, smiling a few times as Cook made a comment about his swagger. Every one behind him hunched their backs and kicked out their legs. This exaggeration made Charlie smile.

"Everybody do the Chalk!" Lysander called to the three lunch lines. And the hundreds of kids who stood in line hunched over and swayed back and forth. A roar erupted from the tables.

"Really?" Charlie yelled over to Lysander in the art line. Lysander smiled broadly.

Truth was, that ever since he and his friends didn't have to fight off evil people, protect the city and overall keep everyone safe, life was… dull. There was nothing to keep an eye on, no one keeping you on your toes and just nothing to do on the weekends. Sure it was nice to have a break for a while but this was torture!

Finally, in the evening, the Red Kings children were called to the study room. Every one was now in groups of twelve or less, to decrease the separation. Each group had a certain room throughout the Academy to study and do homework. But the endowed still got the Red Kings room. That's where Charlie was going now with Gabriel at his side.

When the two walked in, Lysander, Emma, and Tancred were already there.

Charlie sat on the other side of the table, he didn't like being near Tanc and Emma lately. The newly decorated room was very light and open now. The window was not clamped shut and many lights were added. But the Red King's portrait was still hanging there. Charlie liked to go in the painting from time to time when he didn't have any homework. It was hard to keep his eyes away from the gigantic portrait. Sometimes, when Charlie needed to concentrate he had to cover his eyes with one hand to keep from wandering.

But today was not one of those days. Charlie had very little homework this afternoon so what was one, measly conversation with his nine hundred year old ancestor? But he would have to wait. Charlie talked to Gabriel about their music lessons. Una and Olivia came in with Asa not far behind.

Una had started to attend Bone's last year. She was in the drama department and was often humming up the stairs or in the lunchroom line. Una could project her voice wherever she wanted. She could make it loud or soft, high or low. It was really scary, especially when Una was excited. It was much like surround sound.

But now, Lysander said role call and asked Naren (another newbie to Bone's) to take it to the office. Suddenly, books were opened and paper torn from notebooks. Now was Charlie's chance. He opened a book he'd been reading for about three months and hid his eyes from everyone. He read about two paragraphs but abruptly glanced up and stared at the portrait just above him.

The familiar process began. He felt the swirling, the falling and the crazy feeling that went with picture traveling. But just like it began, the falling faded away. Charlie felt ground but was still swirling. Things steadied, the blurring colors became objects with dimensions and corners. The room that was now taking shape was one Charlie had seen many times. He was standing on a richly ornamented rug with a huge lions head on it. Books were stacked on top of papers, tables and each other. (It kind of reminded Charlie of Ingledew's or his uncle's room.) In the corner was a window whose curtains were billowing in the wind. Before long, the Red King came into view as well as his wonderful leopards. The king was lounging in his chair perhaps thinking.

"Hello Charlie." The King's voice was warm, not too deep but smooth.

"Hello," Charlie always felt nervous when talking with this man. He was a king after all. Presently the Red King got up from his chair and looked around.

"Sagittarius! Where _is_ the tea?" One of the leopards leapt down from his perch and sniffed behind some books near another cat. The redder one. The king walked over and lifted out a tea pot.

"Oh, no thank you sir," Charlie said, "Dinner will be in a few minutes. I'd hate to spoil it."

"Oh," said the king disappointedly, "I suppose you're right. Well what is it my boy?"

"I don't really know. I just like the conversations that always spur up when I'm here."

"Much is learned about one's self through conversation. Perhaps you are slowly trying to figure something out?"

"Maybe," Charlie said. He didn't want to say the Red King was wrong, but today he might be.

"How are all the children in the Red King's room?"

"They're fine." Charlie looked around. A question spirred up in his mind the second he saw a pencil laying on the king's desk. Pencils were a more modern thing weren't they? "Sir?" Charlie asked. "Can anyone else do what I can?"

"I'm unsure of what you mean."

"I travel through pictures," Charlie responded. "Does anyone else to that?" The king smiled.

"I do that," he said, motioning toward himself, "as well as a few others." Charlie's facial expression must have changed drastically because of what the king said next. "They do it a bit differently, but the principle is still the same." Charlie still looked glum. "Charlie, you are unique in every way. Just because someone can do what you can, makes no difference." There was a pause in conversation.

"My apologies sir, I just thought that…well…The Academy was the only school with endowed students." The Red King gave a sharp laugh.

"Oh, Charlie, there are so many of you I regret to say that I've lost count. I hate to belittle you, but you are very much not alone." Another pause.

"Wow," was all Charlie could say, quite dismally in fact.

"But, if it's of any consolation, you are the only one who can pay me regular visits."

"Do you enjoy my company?"

"Of course! Of course! Every one has days when they are lonesome and in need of a little chatter. Especially those days when the wife isn't at home." Now Charlie smiled.

"Where is she?"

"Ahh, Beatrice, bless her soul. My birthday is in a few days and she went out berry picking. She's making me a special pie."

"Ohhh! I'm sorry sir. I do think I must be getting off now. If my friends discover where I've been they'll cover up your painting for sure!"

"Well, we can't have that, can we? Off you go!"

In a matter of seconds Charlie sucked himself back into the real world. He looked around to make sure no one saw. Una giggled behind her hand and gave him a funny look. She was the only one to have witnessed Charlie moving from world to world, but she kept it a secret. However, every time Una caught Charlie, he had to pay up with fifty cents. By now, the little girl had a small fortune.

By the time, Charlie actually got his homework done, Lysander said it was time to leave. As usual, he told everyone they were welcome to his family's dinner. No takers. Most of the time they didn't go, but Lyell insisted that Charlie make the invitation known. Charlie packed his bag, left the room and went down the steps to the main hall, right next to the huge glass window. Like normal, students were walking around, bumping into each other and whispering so Miss Hap wouldn't hear. Their shoes made a soft tap on the stone floor. But that was all that could be heard.

"Bye," Gabriel called as Charlie walked down the steps. He instantly regretted it. One hand flew to his mouth. Gabe was in trouble.

"Silk!" Hannah's voice cut through the silent hall like a knife. She gave Charlie's friend a look as if to say, 'What are you doing?', but life went on. Billy came down the steps beside him.

Charlie waved goodbye and sighed when he looked at the ocean of people.

"I just love this don't you?" Billy said sarcastically. Indeed this was Charlie's least favorite part of the day. Five hundred people walking one way, Charlie and Billy, walking the other. They stepped off the last step and watched everyone get pulled into the current, headed to the dorms. Then Charlie looked the other way. _Now or never_, Charlie told himself. And the two dove in.


	2. The Letter

A Letter

Charlie's room was up two flights of stairs and through countless corridors, but the walk wasn't anything once you got in the room. Billy's was one floor below his. Charlie had a chandelier hanging high above his four poster bed which was draped with only the finest linens. He had his own little library that had a fancy combination lock to get to a safe behind it, and the room itself was huge. He had a very big wardrobe in one corner that housed some nice clothes that he never took home and other things. And not to mention the luxurious bay window that looked down on the old castle ruins.

But, Charlie chose, like many other days, to leave his room and go to his father's study. Lyell always had some story of the day's events so he was eager to get to his office on the first floor.

Lyell Bone hadn't really done anything to remodel, Mr. Bloor's old study. Sure he moved some things around, but many of the rooms that hadn't been done over, still bore the uneasy feeling they had started with. Lyell's office was no exception. Charlie had been scolded in this room so many times he just forgot to count.

So now, as he strolled on in without knocking, he was surprised to see a girl with Naren standing in front of his dad. Charlie made a surprised face and backed out of the room giving his dad a look.

"Oh, no Charlie come on in! Uhh. Naren can you please tell Bethany here that this is one of my sons, Charlie." Naren did some funny symbols with her hands while Charlie moved in closer.

Bethany was short. She had cropped curly dark brown hair and brown eyes. Her features were rounded and her smile, as Charlie soon found out, was dazzling. It was shy, but still.

"Hi, nice to meet you." Charlie said. But the girl was instantly confused. She looked at Naren and shook her head. Naren nodded and looked at Charlie.

"She's deaf. Bethany can't here you at all." Charlie's eyes widened but he tried to suppress his shock. Naren signed something to Bethany and the girl understood. She raised her hand and let it drop again. "Bethany said hi." Charlie did the same sign and Bethany nodded delightedly.

"Bethany is going to be a student here. Naren is going to show her around and be our translator since not many people know sign language."

"Hmm. That's cool," Charlie said with a shrug. Naren signed the whole conversation.

"Naren, why don't you see if there's any room in your dorm for Bethany and we'll go from there."

"There is," Naren replied.

"Perfect! I'll see you two tomorrow." The girls exited the room. When the door was closed, Charlie asked,

"Is she endowed?" Lyell nodded.

"There's a good chance, both of her parents are with minor gifts. But Bethany doesn't show any sign of it. They hope that perhaps being around other endowed children will help her open up."

"So is there a better chance of her being endowed because both of her parents are or…" Suddenly a man came in with the mail. Lyell beckoned him forward and took the stack of papers.

"No, actually; Like if…Emma has a child, her child might be able to change shape or read people's minds." Lyell started to open the first letter.

"So how did I get an endowment?"

"Uhh. Something about blood lines and heritage I think. But I do know that your mom was distantly related to a magician so that's why you can use Claerwen. You'll have to ask Uncle P some…" Lyell looked intently at the paper he was reading, "…time." He finished.

"What?" Charlie looked at his dad. Lyell turned the paper around to show it to his son. A smirk lit up his face. The letter read:

To Whom It May Concern,

I don't know who you are or what you are, but some recent Intel from my students tells me there is a very valuable artifact in the castle ruins behind your school. We need your help. If you accept we will be waiting for you on your quaint little Heath. But if you refuse I will consider it hostility and an organized attack will take place. I hope you see things my way. It would be unfortunate for you otherwise.

Sincerely,

Jezebel

Charlie started to laugh uncontrollably.

"This woman basically just said, 'I hate you, I don't care about you, and give me what I want. And then…'sincerely Jezebel'." Charlie gave the paper back to his dad. Lyell smiled. "What are you going to do?"

"Oh, we're going. With every endowed person north of England."

That night's dinner went very fast. There was little conversation. Lyell wanted Uncle Paton inside his office as soon as possible. Charlie knew he had no place but he wanted to be included very badly. So when Lyell told Charlie to follow him into his study, after the table was cleaned and the people gone, Charlie's heart raced. He acted stone faced as he walked with the two men.

Lyell and Paton were very different. Lyell was much shorter than Paton (most people were), he was built more, and he had a shock of curly black hair. Paton on the other hand, was tall, a striking 6'7". Mr. Yewbeam was lanky and had long, straight hair. However, their minds worked hand in hand. They could stay up for hours and talk strategy. It was a ferocious thing to watch them play chess.

Finally, the three men made it to Mr. Bone's office. Lyell unlocked it and went in followed by his uncle and son. Paton sat down in one of the funny chairs before Lyell's desk. Charlie found another chair and was ready to sit when his father stopped him.

"Charlie I swear that in the morning you will be the first to know what's going on. But you need your sleep. I can't have you snoozing off in classes tomorrow." Lyell's tone was light, but firm.

Charlie braced himself on the armrests of the chair and pushed his body into standing position. His heart was crushed. You couldn't see it in his face, but his eyes were full of rage. Lyell could see right through them.

"Charlie if it had not been a school night-"

"It's fine!" Charlie shot back and strode to the door.

"Charlie," it was Uncle Paton's voice, "please do not say anything of this to anyone. We don't want to alarm the pupils."

"Sure," Charlie said, and left the room.


	3. The Music Department

The Music Department

That night as Charlie was sleeping in his oversized bed, he abruptly awoke. At first he just thought it was his restlessness, but then he heard something. It was very faint. If his bed creaked even a little, he wouldn't have been able to hear the sound. Charlie listened closer. It was music; a slow, beautiful piece that sort of floated to the listener. If Charlie had laid there he might have fallen back to sleep, but he didn't. He hopped out of bed, shoved his feet into some shoes and grabbed a flashlight.

_For starters,_ Charlie thought to himself, _there's only one place that would have musical instruments. "The Music Department". _The song was still drifting along as Charlie made his way down two flights of spiral stair cases. Charlie went through the many hallways and arches. At last he came through the final door that opened to the main hall of The Academy. Charlie slipped through and closed it without a noise. _Okay, now to the Music Department._ It was not hard for Charlie to find his way in the dark. The different departments all had monstrous doors and the appropriate head stone depending on the department.

The music that was once very light, and slow had now sped up. It still wasn't really fast, but quicker nonetheless. And it had gotten louder. Charlie was surprised that none of the dorm lights were on.

Charlie rested his hand on the brass door knob. He hoped whoever was inside wasn't dangerous or angry. That would be bad and his dad would be furious. But somehow he looked past all that and turned the knob.

Inside the music department was even darker than the main hall. Charlie couldn't even make out the shapes of the doors that should have been a few steps in front of him. He couldn't see the long rug that said all of the teacher's names and the instruments that they taught.

This narrow hall was silent. Charlie was so used to hearing students chatting, instruments being played (sometimes badly). It was so black. Charlie was scared to go forward. He felt that this must be what blind people felt like. Every step Charlie took was harder to take. It was just … very … eerie and lonsome.

Charlie's heartbeat quickened. He was psyching himself out in a major way. And the mysterious music was not helping. It was still persistent and had gotten a bit louder. Charlie was defiantly close. But the blackness was threatening. It made Charlie tense up. His eyes were wide, ready for anything. But what was anything.

Charlie felt for the wall. There! He could grab the molding in the middle. Charlie was quite a bit more confident now. A few steps and…yes…the first door on the right was Mrs. Saventar's class. She taught the piccolo. Next was Mrs. McDun who taught the flute. And so on and so forth. The brass instruments got bigger and eventually turned into winds and then other halls would split off from the brass hall and would include percussion, strings and others.

Charlie wasted no time in making his way to where the keyboards would be. He turned off the first hall and looked, again, into darkness. He started walking, but something strange happened. The music Charlie was intently looking for got quieter as he walked in the darkness. Charlie stopped. _What was going on?_ He walked back to beginning of the hall. It was louder! The percussion hall started with drums. The pianos were on the other end! Charlie walked toward the pianos again. The music got softer. Now Charlie was confused. Shouldn't the music be getting louder as he got closer to the source? He didn't move for a few seconds so he could think. _There was someone playing a piano. I can hear the song from my room, but the closer I get to the source, the softer the sound gets. Wait, what if the source isn't here? _Charlie was too tired to think any more. He would ask his friends in the morning. Now was time for much needed sleep. So Charlie left the hall. He walked past the brass instruments and out the door.

Almost as soon as he left the Music Department, the song stopped. It had been gaining tempo, but just stopped. Had whoever it was seen Charlie? He didn't want to find out. Charlie ran the rest of the way to his room.


	4. Relay

Relay

"Charlie!" Someone yelled. "Charlie!" Charlie was slowly realizing that this wasn't a dream. Now someone grabbed him and shook.

"Charlie! We have a lot to go over! Get up!" That was his dad.

Charlie squeezed his eyes to get one more ounce of sleep out and rolled over. Opening his eyes, Charlie realized that most of the males in his family were in his room. Uncle Paton was beside Lyell, near Charlie, and Billy was behind the two men. He was already dressed and everything. Uncle P grabbed the blanket and whisked it off the bed.

"Get up, get up!" he said, "Breakfast is in half an hour."

"We've got a lot to talk about," Lyell said again as he helped Charlie out of bed.

"Why don't you let Billy tell me later?" Charlie said as he eyed Billy.

"Billy doesn't know yet. We gave him the letter but that was it. I told you I would tell you first." Charlie simply sat up and stared at his dad. "C'mon! We'll fill you in as you get dressed.

Charlie ran his fingers through his hair and got up. He was finding clothes in his wardrobe when Uncle Paton began.

"Your father and I see reason to be very cautious with this Jezebel woman."

"That's an odd sort of name isn't it?" Billy asked. He sat down on Charlie's bed.

"Yes. It is. The name Jezebel shows up in the Bible. She is said to be the 'adulteress' as well as a few other things." Charlie went behind his divider to get dressed.

"But we don't think that really pertains to this woman." Lyell put in.

"Right," Paton went on. "We've contacted a few people. We had to leave a message at the Sparkling castle, my father said he would like to come as well as Henry and Alice said she would come. We still need to talk to Cook but she always likes to help where she can. Obviously we need to talk to Mr. Torrsen, but he's…well…yeah."

"So that's our line up," Lyell interjected, "Of course you and your friends will be there too. I will be in the middle front. You, Billy and Uncle Paton will be up there also. Torrsen perhaps. And the rest will fall in behind. We might get the wives up with us. Maybe not."

"You're going to let mom walk with us?"

"Well, maybe. It would show Jezebel that we don't want to fight."

"What we're trying to portray is a very peaceful school." Paton said.

"We don't want to fight. But we'll be ready if needed." Charlie smiled when he heard he would be in front of the pack and walked out from behind the divider, fully dressed.

"That's all. We leave for the heath at nine thirty on Saturday morning. Go see if you can catch your mom at the door. She's ready to take Vivienne to daycare."

Billy got up from the bed and walked to the door. Charlie followed, leaving his uncle and father in his bedroom. The boys were silent for a while. Until they got to the second floor.

"How did you sleep Charlie?" Billy asked out of good nature. Charlie remembered the piano.

"I don't really know." Billy stopped. He looked at Charlie who was now ahead of him. Billy jogged forward to catch up and said, "Is there a story behind this?"

"A little," Charlie said with a smirk. "I woke up and I heard a piano. But when I went to the piano section of the Music Department, the music got softer and softer. When I came out of the Music Department, the music was louder."

"What time was it?"

"Pretty early in the morning," Charlie replied, trying to recall. Now they were coming into the main hall. A few students were scattered around. Amy stood at the big doors and waved.

"So someone is playing a piano early in the morning and it isn't in the Music Department."

"Wow it took me a really long time to figure that out." Billy beamed.

Across from where the boys were walking, Amy stood waving. Vivienne was beside her, holding her hand. They were in front of the big doors ready to go.

"Good morning my darlings," Amy chimed. She gave Billy a tight squeeze with one arm. Then she looked at Charlie as if to say, 'and you?' Charlie gave in and gave his mom a hug. "Ohh, thank you sweety. But I guess we'll be off."

"Bye Viv'!" called Billy. "Have fun at school."

"You too," Vivienne replied as she tugged her mom through the glass door.

"Say something!" Amy harshly whispered in Charlie's direction. But Charlie didn't. The door had closed before he could think of something to say.

That day when the students had free time after lunch, Charlie summoned all the endowed children to the entrance of the castle ruins. He and Billy sat on the knocked over concrete walls, as well as Olivia, Emma, Naren, Bethany and Una. Naren had brought Bethany since it wouldn't exactly have been kind to leave her out of it. Everyone else was on the grounds playing, falling down, or talking in their little groups.

"Before we start, Naren, why don't you introduce everyone and tell Bethany what they can do." Naren signed to Bethany and began. Naren spoke aloud so everyone could follow along.

"This is Charlie as you already know. He can travel in and out of pictures or paintings." Naren spoke slowly. Her hands couldn't move as fast as her mouth. "That's Billy, he's Charlie's brother and he can talk to animals." Bethany smiled and nodded her head. "That is Emma. She's related to Charlie. His uncle and her aunt are married. Emma can change into any bird she chooses." Bethany was still trying to figure out the family tree in her head. She was using her own hands a lot so Naren waited. After Bethany smiled and said, "Oh," Naren went on. "Next is Olivia. Emma and Olivia are best friends and she can make illusions." Bethany was surprised to hear that. She put up her hand and made some signs. "So Charlie, Billy, Emma, Olivia?" Naren translated. "Yes." She answered. "On to the men; There's Asa. He changes into a beast at sundown. Then it's Tancred. Tancred and Emma are dating." At this Tancred and Emma both blushed. "We call Tancred the thunder boy. He can cause thunder storms and snow storms."

"And I'm workin' on a hurricane!" Tancred chimed. Naren translated for Bethany. Everyone laughed.

"Okay, next is Lysander. Lysander and Tancred are best friends and he can summon his spirit ancestors." Lysander smiled. "This is Gabriel. Gabriel is a knock out musician," Naren chimed as Gabriel laughed and looked a little embarrassed. "Gabriel can feel what other people felt and see what they saw, just by putting on their clothes."

Bethany signed something to Naren.

"Bethany thinks all of your endowments are really cool." Lysander did a little bow and everyone else said thank you. "Okay, next is Dagbert. He can manipulate the oceans. Now is Una. She is the youngest of us. She can project her voice and do other voice things like that. And now is me. I can send shadow words across a distance if I have something that you have worn." There was a pause in conversation.

"Okay, now for my news," Charlie said with a glance at Naren. "My dad got a letter from a woman in North Africa. She is the head of another school for endowed children."

"Wait! There's another school for the endowed?" Lysander asked.

"Yeah. And they want to search the ruins for some artifact. The problem is that her letter was rather mildly worded."

"What did she say? Una asked, obviously fascinated. She had watched several times as her friends battled the Bloor's. She always wondered what it would be like fighting off bad guys with the people around her.

"Jezebel, which is her name," Charlie continued," "said that if we did not go to the heath and do what she said, she would orchestrate a full out attack." Eye brows were raised; scoffs passed and confused looks given.

"So, pardon me if I sound a bit rude," Gabriel said, "But are we doing this just because she says so?"

"My dad doesn't want to fight," Charlie replied. "But we're all going to the heath. My family will be in the front along with your dad Tancred. And every one else will fall in behind. Uncle Paton is trying to see if he can get some reinforcements as well."

"What kind of reinforcements?" Dagbert asked.

"Well, he tried to contact Mr. Boldova, Alice Angle, and Henry and James Yewbeam." Charlie explained. "Maybe you all should take me up on my dinner invitation tonight. My dad could have more info.

That night, all of Charlie's friends _did_ take up his invitation. Charlie and a few others helped set the table for the new guests who included Bethany and Fidelio.

The dining room was a long room with paneled walls. The carpet was plush and a deep red color. Hanging over the table in the middle of the room were several lantern looking lights that dangled from chains fastened high above them. The light bulbs were taken out and candle holders put in so that the room would better accompany some of the Bone's endowed relatives. When the Bone's first discovered this room there were beautiful paintings on the walls but Lyell and Amy thought it best to have them taken down because of a certain son. So now, in their place there were verses, poems and other short pieces of literature provided by Paton and Julia.

Charlie and his friends were the first ones to dinner tonight. They walked around, some read the poems, and others talked together. Apparently Olivia and Bethany discovered that they shared a distant relative, Guanhamara, one of the Red Kings daughters.

Then came Amy, she was surprised to see all the children, but glad. She had not seen them all together in such a long time. She remembered when her son would roam around the city with all of his friends. It brought back so many memories. Vivienne, of course ran straight for the girls. She hugged Naren first, then Olivia, Emma and Una. The Bethany situation was explained and the two quickly became friends.

Next the newest Yewbeams arrived. They came in, hand in hand, but when Paton saw all the people he quickly tugged his hand from Julia's. Charlie wasn't sure if the expression on his face was joy or horror. Neither Julia nor Paton saw the children very much since the Pets Café was opened.

"Well, well." Paton said to himself. Julia hurried over to Emma to ask about the new girl and see how every one was doing.

And last but not least, the final one to arrive was Lyell. When he opened the dining room door, his mouth fell open but only for a few seconds. He had obviously been drained, but one look at his dining room and all the smiling faces, he was instantly over that.

"Sorry dad," Billy said. "But Charlie and I just thought that it would be better if every one heard what was going on from you."

"Uhh, that's okay," he replied a little shocked.

"Daddy!" Vivienne sang as she ran into her father's arms. Lyell picked her up situated her on his hip.

"Amy can you tell Nathaniel that we're ready when he is?" Nathaniel was the family's personal cook. Amy and Maisie had taught him all the family recipes. Maisie kept only a few for holidays and weekends at home.

Every one found their way to a seat at the large oak table in the middle of the room. The head of the table, naturally, was Lyell and to his left were Paton and Julia. To his right were Amy, Vivienne, Billy and Charlie. Beside Charlie sat Bethany. On down the right side were Olivia, Asa, Tancred and Una. No one was in front of Una, but in front of Tancred sat Lysander and to his right was Dagbert, Gabriel, Naren (who was in front of Bethany), Fidelio, and Emma.

While they were waiting on the food to be served Lyell got every one's attention.

"Well, normally I start out the family meal with, how was your day." Lyell was not expecting an answer. In fact he was halfway through the next word when Vivienne piped up.

"Daddy," she said, "One of da boys at my coloring table stole da cwayons mommy gave me yesterday. So I told Mrs. Carper and she yelled at him. And she yelled, and she said, 'Bwyce,' dat's da boy's name, 'if you don't give Vivienne back her cwayons I'll put you in time out. So he did give dem back." Vivienne obviously didn't know what a rhetorical question was. For all she knew she was just answering her fathers question, which she was all too happy to do.

Charlie could hardly hold back a laugh. It came out as a cough and he quickly covered his mouth with both hands. Charlie looked over at his uncle and Julia. Julia was smiling adoringly while Paton was more amused. Charlie often wondered if his aunt had wanted children of her own. Then someone at the other end of the table started clapping.

"Great story!" they yelled. Lysander perhaps? Soon a few people joined in the clapping and then a few more until every one was applauding and Vivienne was as high as cloud nine.

"As I was saying," continued Lyell after the clapping ceased, "I'm very glad you all could come and I'll bet so is Nathaniel since he's going to be paid a bit more than usual on Friday. But on Saturday I hope you all will come to the heath at nine thirty. I don't know how many people are in Jezebel's school but I don't like to be shown up. Naren tell Bethany that she is more than welcome to accompany us."

"And that _I _will be picking her up at nine twenty," interjected Olivia before she gently nudged the deaf girl with her elbow. Bethany smiled.

"Thank you Olivia. If any one had any questions, please feel free to ask." Charlie's father fell silent and a dull roar began. Charlie got Fidelio's attention, who was sitting in front of him.

"I'm sorry you weren't at the meeting today during break. I couldn't find you anywhere."

"Oh, yeah," Fidelio said, "I had a piano rehearsal. What's all this about?" Charlie recited a second time, what he told his friends at the ruins.

"Wow!" Fidelio exclaimed. "This woman means business. Do you think you'll fight?" Charlie shook his head, "I really don't know. It depends what she wants."

Suddenly, from the door just behind Fidelio, the servers flooded out and surrounded the table. In unison, they sat down the dishes. Charlie and his family were used to this. His friends, however, were not so used to such service. Their mouths fell open as the servers' freshly pressed white coat arms reached across them and grabbed their plates. And just as this happened, eighteen male servers asked, all at the same time,

"Beef or turkey?" And a plethora of answers came.

The regular chit-chat of the blue, green, and purple cafeterias began, just on a lower note. Charlie felt a little weird, sitting here by a girl who couldn't hear. It must, be nice sometimes, he thought. If Charlie was deaf, he would have never heard his grandmother's cackle, he would have never heard all the lies he'd heard, he also wouldn't have heard anyone say, 'your father is dead'.

"Naren, I need more gravy." Charlie told his friend. The gravy dish sat in front of Bethany who was eating quietly.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Naren said.

Her mouth's movement caught Bethany's attention. But when she realized, she was not being talked to, she dropped her head and ate some more.

"How?" Naren showed Charlie a couple of hand motions. Bethany was watching out of the corner of her eye. Charlie repeated the signs until he got them.

"Now, just tap her on her shoulder or something." Naren instructed.

Charlie did so and Bethany looked up like she had no idea what Charlie was about to do. Her head automatically snapped to her translator, but her translator pointed her back to Charlie. He repeated what he had learned. Bethany smiled dazzlingly and gave the gravy to Charlie. He replied with a thank you and life went on.

Seconds later, when plates were being cleared by the servers and dessert was being ordered, Olivia called down the table,

"Mr. Bone?" Lyell wasn't paying attention; he was too busy enjoying his baked Alaska. "Charlie!" she tried. Charlie tilted his head to look at the extravagant girl two seats away from him. Bethany looked up and saw what he was looking at. "Get your dad!"

"Dad!" Charlie called. There was no response. "Dad!" Nothing. "DAD!"

"What!" Lyell snapped his head in Charlie's direction, obviously abruptly woken from a day dream.

"Liv' wants you!" The table grew silent. Even the servers stood still.

"Yes, miss Vertigo?"

"Oh, well," she said with a nervous laugh as she noticed all the staring people. "Asa was wondering-"

"We both were wondering," he kicked Olivia's seat playfully.

"What play we were going to do this year." All eyes were now on Mr. Bone. He gave a great smile.

"I was talking with your teacher this morning actually about that exact thing. And she said that since this was Asa's last year she wanted to do Beauty and the Beast." There was a murmur of agreement and some giggling.

"How fitting," said Gabriel glancing at Olivia.

"Yeah," said someone else. "Guess who's got the lead!" Asa smirked. Gabriel, however was not referring to the beast boy.

"Oh!" exclaimed Asa. "Speaking of beasts! It's nearly dusk! I'd hate to phase here in front of every one. May I be excused?"

"Of course!" Lyell agreed Thanks for coming." Everyone else said their goodbyes as he gave Olivia a little back massage and ran out the door.


	5. Miss Jezebel

Miss Jezebel

So, today was the day. Charlie woke up in his own bed at Diamond Corner. The early sunshine was floating through his window and Claerwen was on his nose. She knew what today was.

"You want to come too?" he asked the moth wiping the sleep from his eyes. Charlie hurriedly got dressed and flew downstairs. Most of his family was sitting at the table waiting for Maisie to serve breakfast. Claerwen was on Charlie's shoulder. (Big mistake)

"Charlie what is on your shoulder?" Vivienne asked. The whole room stopped. Vivienne had no idea of the world that her brother and parents lived in. Lyell stared at his son. Not angrily, just hopefully. He nodded his head, urging Charlie to make something up.

"Uhh, it's a moth," he said shakily. Vivienne wouldn't have it.

"But it's so much pwettier dan normal moths."

"Well this one is special."

"Like Uncow Paton special or just normal special?"

"Vivienne don't pester Charlie," Amy said sweetly.

"I'm just asking questions momma. Can I touch it?" Vivienne put her finger up to Claerwen. He quickly grabbed her wrist and twisted. It was what he would have done to Manfred or Joshua. Vivienne was almost instantly in tears and screaming. Billy came in with a very worried look on his face.

"Ahhh, Charlie!" Lyell scolded. Charlie let go before he knew what he had done.

"Get a band aid!" Viv' screamed.

"Oh, it's not even bleeding!" Charlie called back.

"Charlie! Not now!" Lyell commanded. "Vivienne, you will be fine." When Billy sat down next to Charlie he whispered,

"Claerwen wants the child silenced." But Charlie couldn't laugh.

About twenty minutes later, Vivienne was taken up stairs to play dolls with grandma so the rest of the family could leave in peace.

"Amy," Lyell said, "take Billy up ahead with you. I'd like to talk to Charlie." Charlie groaned inside. Lyell waited until his wife and other son were up a ways to start his conversation.

"We're back to square one." He stated flatly.

"Which is?" Charlie moaned

"Drop the attitude." Lyell said

"Sorry." Mumbled Charlie.

"She's three."

"So?"

"_So_, she's not going to be the first person you would pick to hang out with, I get it, but really? I don't think almost breaking her arm is going to make her grow up faster."

"It was worth a shot," Charlie said sarcastically.

"Charlie!" But Lyell too broke a smile. "You have to be friends with her to enjoy her company."

"She doesn't _want_ me to enjoy her company! She just…uhh," Charlie let out an exasperated sigh.

"Daddy, do you dink Charwee likes me?" Lyell imitated his daughters developing speech. "Daddy, does Charwee like me? Daddy, Charwee doesn't like me." Lyell waited for his son to say something.

"She actually says that?" Charlie asked skeptically.

"Yes. Amy has some of the same talks with her." There was a pause as the men caught up with Amy and Billy outside the bookstore. "Will you try?" Lyell caught Charlie's jaw in one strong hand. Paton came up beside them and smiled under his fedora.

"Yes, I'll try," Charlie said smiling, though a bit distorted from Lyell's grip. Lyell let go, also cracking another smile.

"Take pointers from Billy or something."

"Girl troubles?" Uncle Paton inquired.

"Sibling rivalry." Lyell corrected. Billy joined the group now. Then Amy and Julia arrived. And they walked to the heath.

This morning was very unlike the mornings of days past. Usually it was sunny and bright. Maybe seventy degrees outside. But today there was overcast. Dark clouds blanketed the sky as they did for much of the Bloor's rein. The buildings lining the street seemed dark and empty, even though families lived in most. _Perhaps it's the Torrsens_, thought Charlie.

Even Charlie's relatives seemed different the closer they got. Uncle Paton seemed his old self again. His Fedora pulled way down to shade his eyes. He was distant and aloof. He was wearing a white button up, jeans, and a dark jacket. Charlie's own father looked nervous. He looked around as if to make sure the school was any where near. Lyell was wearing one of his leather jackets and jeans. The women on the other hand were calm. Sure Amy realized her husband's state and Julia was offended by her husband's manner, but it was to be expected. Amy wore a long skirt that billowed in the wind and a tank top. Julia was in a very simple dress and flip flops. They didn't look much like they were ready for battle. More like negotiating.

Soon, the group was leaving the cobble stone road and walking on grass. Charlie and his family were the first one's there.

"Are you ready for this?" Billy quoted the song and Charlie laughed. "Hey did you ever figure that thing out about the piano?"

"Oh, … no. They stopped playing so I couldn't go around trying to find them."

"Maybe they knew you were looking."

"I don't see how," Charlie said, "I didn't see any one."

"That doesn't mean they didn't see _you_."

"Yeah I guess you're right," Charlie said. He caught Lyell beckoning the boys forward.

"You know, dad _did_ teach piano for a few years, maybe he knows where another piano could be.

"_Maybe_," Charlie realized. He had never thought of that before.

It took the rest of everyone about ten minutes to show up. Charlie was talking with Tancred, Lysander, and Dagbert when someone came up behind him. Tancred, Lysander, and Dagbert's mouths dropped.

"This _is_ where we're supposed to be right Samuel?" Charlie was too shocked to move. Could it really be? But then there was another voice. A much deeper one.

"I don't know Ollie. There's no one here I recognize."

Charlie whirled around and stared in awe. A much older Ollie Sparks stood in front of him. And Mr. Boldova smiled widely.

"Ollie! I can't believe you came!" Charlie pushed his shoulders and tousled his hair. Ollie gave repeated blows to Charlie's ribs.

Tancred and Lysander shook Mr. Boldova's hand and they said hello to Ollie.

"It's good to see you again, Tancred, Lysander. You guys never come to Sparkling Castle anymore."

"Yeah, I miss hide and go seek in that place." Lysander said dreamily.

"You kids are more than welcome to come, just load up in Uncle Paton's old camper van and head on over," Mr. Boldova replied.

"Actually," countered Charlie, "he sold the van and got a new car."

"Oh."

"Alright, alright! Ladies and gentlemen, hopefully we can meet and greet later," roared Lyell. "All Torrsens, Bones, Yewbeams and Tolleys up here with me. Everyone else, place your selves strategically behind us. For example, don't put Una and Bethany beside each other." There was a chuckle from the crowd. Charlie looked over at Bethany and smiled. She saw him and smiled back.

To Charlie, there was just something nice about Bethany. She was refreshing. Bethany didn't have to go around fighting people and she didn't seem to have a bad cell in her body. She was so innocent, like Charlie's other friend Benjamin, who he left at Filbert Street. _Maybe they should hook up?_

But Charlie was ripped from his thoughts when Billy started pulling him by the arm.

"Charlie let's go!" Charlie woke up and laughed at himself. _What was he doing? _He ran to the front.

It seemed so free up here. Behind the families: support, power; in front: emptiness, nothing. It was a crazy feeling, to be right there in the middle. Perhaps this is what Asa and Dagbert felt like when they were transitioning from the Bloor's tyranny to the where they are now. Being tuck in the middle.

So there was Mr. Torrsen with his wife on one side and Tancred on the other. They were close knit, like they leaned on one another for comfort. Then there were the Bones. They were set up like the Torrsens. Dad in the middle of his wife and sons. Beside them were Julia, Paton and Emma. In the middle of their group was Emma. It's not that Emma didn't like Paton, she just wasn't…well…_ used _to him yet. The most affectionate they had ever been was her sitting on his lap when their living room was too full.

And then the throng of people waited. Charlie listened to the trees rustle in the wind, Dagbert shifted his weight from one foot to the other and Alice stood stone faced, staring at the trees in the distance.

Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a black, medium sized, cloud flashed, yards from the Torrsens. This cloud only appeared for an instant with a _pff puh_ and then it was gone. A few seconds later it would reappear in a different place. It danced around the Heath dropping one person each time as the "thing" would collapse on itself with green arms that sucked into the center of the cloud. As the group watched, baffled, a distinct lineup was forming. The dark cloud had apparently done all it was intended to do and three rows of individuals stood before Charlie. There was a missing person in the fourth column of the third row and a gap was present in the middle of the first row. And with Charlie watching, the last person in the third row to show up…took Charlie's breath away.

_Could it be?_ Charlie thought. _But how? She's so far away._ When the black mist disappeared a beautiful girl showed up. She had very dark eyes, and extremely long dark brown hair that was spiral curled down her shoulders. And her face! It screamed that of Matilda. Charlie couldn't take his eyes off of her. But he had to. There was one last eruption of dark cloud and green light. This last show revealed a very young woman, obviously the head, "_Jezebel" _Charlie thought.

She stood in the middle but a few steps in front of the first row. She had bright orange hair that was contained in a quite large ponytail. She didn't look like a school head mistress to Charlie though, or even a teacher at all. Charlie observed that she wore a dark trench coat and her nails were painted black. _Very Paton like_ Charlie joked.

Beside the Bone family, Paton leaned to Julia's ear.

"I like her coat," he said unable to hold back a smile. Julia leaned over in reply.

"Maybe for Christmas." She replied softly.

The woman with a shock of hair saw this and moved her eyes to investigate. But when she did, she didn't look back at Lyell for at least thirty seconds. Jezebel kept her eyes glued to the Yewbeam couple. Paton looked up from talking with Julia and saw the woman's eyes on his face. Mr. Yewbeam hardened. He returned the stare. His eyes were empty and unmoving. Something Paton learned to do as a child. This was a game to him, and he never lost. Today was not an exception.

Jezebel let her eyes flutter back to the family in front of her.

"My name is Jezebel." Her voice was smooth and high. "What is your answer?"

"That depends," Lyell said, "What are your conditions? And what are you looking for?"

"I want unlimited access to the castle ruins and free accommodations. And I want the students who are behind me to be able to attend your school until our time here is done."

"For free." Lyell sneered. The woman nodded her head. "And what are you looking for."

"Various artifacts of only sentimental value. We believe the Red Kings treasury still has a few things in it and we hope to successfully excavate it." Lyell was not impressed.

"Uncle Paton, have you ever heard of this treasury?"

"There are a few books who talk of a room of great wealth within the castle. But I have no idea where it is or what is inside."

"Believe me now?" Jezebel had emotion in her voice for the first time.

"What happens if you do find something of _value_?"

"We won't."

"But if you do?"

"We haven't' come to that yet. If such an event does occur, we will talk terms."

For an hour, Lyell and Jezebel talked. They discussed living places, and paying a small sum to pay for the children's meals. And the excavation project money would have to come from Jezebel's school's pocket. She agreed as long as they got a low school admittance rate. And they did. But Lyell would not allow her to live in the school with the children. The Bone house was a little cramped and no one really wanted to take a stranger into their home. But Julia, from the goodness of her heart, whispered to her husband again.

"We have another spare room upstairs." Paton rolled his eyes and sighed as he touched his forehead on hers. "Please Paton? She seems nice."

"Fine," he hissed and then, louder so everyone could hear. "Julia seems to think there is some room in the bookstore."

Charlie couldn't help but laugh behind his fist. His uncle was not happy about this, but Julia wanted it so he had to comply. Uncle Paton said it with his usual unemotional tone that Charlie loved so much. Mr. Yewbeam had used it very often on Charlie himself but he hadn't for quite a few years.

"Thank you Mr.…," Jezebel did not know Paton's last name and she hoped that the other two did not belong to him. She let the "Mr." trail off as she listened for an answer.

"Yewbeam," answered Paton gruffly.

"My, my," said Jezebel, "what a mouthful." Julia couldn't help but hold back a smile. "We will start on Monday then. But as for the rest of the day, Jameson will be teleporting the rest of our luggage here."

That was that then. The atmosphere of the area lightened tremendously. Lyell hugged Amy as the other side of the heath came together. The tight formation that was once in place quickly dispersed as Paton walked over to Lyell and Julia slung her arm over Emma's shoulder and talked about their new roommate.

"Why is it so hot?" complained Tancred. He started fanning himself with a hand.

"Why don't you do something about it?" Naren shot back.

Indeed it was hot. No one had noticed before but today was a very warm spring day. Even for spring. Beads of sweat had formed on everyone's foreheads and sleeves had been rolled to adapt to the heat, but that did little to comfort. By now everyone was in their own school's circle.

"This is a little ridiculous," stated Olivia.

"Umm, how do you think I feel?" asked Dagbert.

"This is uncanny. It's the middle of April and nearly ninety degrees!" shouted Gabriel.

"True," Mr. Boldova piped up. "But there are many uncanny people here. Sure we know that no one of us standing here could do such a thing, but what if it's one of them?" Everyone took a glance at the group on the other side of the heath.

"If you're right then I'm not going to have a very nice time at school next week," grumbled Dagbert.

He _was_ right. Dagbert wasn't looking too well. His skin tone had lightened to a pale yellow and his lips were chapped. Dagbert's arms were also very dry looking.

"Anybody's pool open?" wondered Lyell aloud.

"Hey. I've got a pool if you all want to come over," suggested Lysander. A round of agreement sounded in the group. Even Bethany put up her hands and shook them. Charlie supposed that meant she agreed.

"What time Lysander?" Amy asked. "Tell your mom I'll help her cook if she wants."

"A couple of hours?" he guessed.

"Shouldn't we invite our new neighbors?" Emma asked.

"Oh yeah," Mr. Bone said a little less than enthused. "Jezebel!" he called. She turned around sending her ponytail flying. "We are going to go swimming at one of the student's houses due to the heat-"

"Oh yes I'm terribly sorry. Little Royce hasn't quite gotten control of his talent yet."

"Well we were wondering if you and your students wanted to come as well." For once, the students looked at each other excitedly and whispered. But one look from Jezebel silenced them.

"Will there be enough room?"

"Have you _seen_ his house?" Tancred asked jokingly. The matter was settled.


	6. Weekend

Weekend

An hour and a half later every one at the Bone house was dressed for the pool party. Lyell had on a white t and his trunks, Charlie dressed in the same. Amy was applying sunscreen to Vivienne. She was wearing a short sun dress and sunglasses. Then Maisie came down the stairs. She had on a huge, floppy, sun hat and the same size glasses.

"Charlie do you want me to put some sun block on you?" Lyell chided his son. He tickled Charlie's sides.

"Dad! No thank you I can do it myself." Charlie tried, regretfully, to keep the laugh from leaving his throat.

In a few minutes, the Bone's pulled up to the Sage mansion in the Heights. It was a beautiful house with a gorgeous window on the second floor. The pool was in the back.

The family made there way up the fancy sidewalk and rang the door bell. A very pretty woman opened the door.

"Oh hello, hello!" Lysander's mother was of average height. She had big brown eyes and long black hair. Mrs. Sage's smile was the most welcoming Charlie knew. "Come in! Come in! Goodness knows it's hot out there." Charlie noticed a little girl peeking from behind Mrs. Sage's leg. It was Amanda, Lysander's sister. She was five. Charlie looked down at Vivienne. She was about to grab his mom's leg when she walked inside. The two girls stayed as far from each other as they could.

"Looks like we'll have to introduce a couple of people," Amy said, glancing at her daughter.

"Charlie, Billy, 'Sanders outside by the pool." As Charlie was walking down the hallway he heard his mother and Mrs. Sage tell their daughters who the new girl was.

When Charlie opened the door it was like being hit by a wave of sweltering wind. The pool was less than four feet in front of him but the glare reflecting off the water was blinding. He could see someone's feet, but that was all.

"Hey Billy. Hi Charlie!" That was Lysander. Charlie walked to the row of chairs on one side of the huge pool. Now he could see. Tancred was lounging in an inflatable chair, sipping something in a cup. He had on shades and one arm was behind his head.

"Hi Charlie," he called lifting up his glass. Lysander had something in his hand that was in the pool. It seemed like he was cleaning it. "Hey 'Sander, you missed a spot right…there." Tancred smiled at himself.

"Why don't you get it?" Lysander splashed some water on his friend.

"Hey! I can and will electrify this pool," Tancred said as Charlie got in. He snuck up on Tancred and Lysander realized what was going on.

"You're all talk bro."

Charlie got to the floaty. He kept his mouth under the water and stretched out his arms. Charlie felt for the edge and lifted. Tancred went sprawling from the chair.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Lysander.

And then, through the big double doors, came Paton, Julia and Emma. Paton's hair was pulled into a little pony tail and he wore a tank top and trunks. Julia sported a hot pink one piece and a cover up while Emma was in jean shorts and her bikini top. They chose a bench near the one Charlie's stuff was on.

"Why are you guys here so early," asked Lysander.

"Well, why don't we just go home if you're going to treat us that way 'Sander?" Emma shot back. But she flashed him a smile.

"I thought I would help Mrs. Sage and Amy with the food." Julia explained. Paton sat down in a chair.

"Uncle P are you going to indulge yourself in the party this time or be your normal self?" Charlie asked.

"Well, there are no light bulbs here so I think I'll be okay, but if you insist…" Emma started to unbuckle her belt.

"Emma whoa!" yelled Charlie. "You can't just start stripping anywhere you want!" Emma stopped with her hands on her shorts.

"What is wrong with you guys today?" Emma screeched. "_Obviously, _I am wearing the bottom part of my bathing suit and _obviously,_ I would not be taking my clothes off in front of everyone."

"Uncle P are you going to let her do this?" Charlie joked. Julia was gone or else he would have asked her.

"Umm…well." Paton was not good at this sort of thing. Joking or not. "First of all Emma does not belong to me so I can't really tell her what to do. Second, _you do_ belong to me and if you don't straighten up I will make sure that you never bother my wife's niece again."

Charlie was taken back. He had just been kidding but his uncle was not. Charlie knew that his Uncle Paton was trying to be subtle, but his tone was extremely sinister. He had only ever heard one other person talk to him like that. Ezekiel Bloor.

"Thank you," Emma said without a smile.

She was serious too. But nevertheless, she shed her shorts and dove into the pool. Emma looked around the chair. She said something to Paton and he shuffled around in a bag. He brought back up a can of sun screen and he handed it to Emma.

Charlie and Tancred thought it was funny to watch Emma and Mr. Yewbeam interact. It was kind of like watching two new dogs meet each other for the first time. Just without so much growling. At first there was a door in the way so they could sort of smell each other and figure the opposition out. And then the door was taken and the dogs would stay far away from each other. Paton and Emma would rarely talk. But now they were at the point where the two dogs would play tug of war and chase after balls together. Which translates into sitting beside each other and telling each other significant things that happened in their day.

And now a young lady came through the crystal doors of the house. Bethany was at her side.

"Olivia!" Emma cried. "Oh, these boys are absolutely unbearable!"

Bethany was clearly a little confused with out Naren there. But soon more and more people showed up. Dagbert was next, along with Miss Kettle. And then Gabriel came, Una and Asa. Fidelio came too and after him came the other school.

He noticed that one girl had long blonde hair; another's was chopped and black. Many of the guys were as big as Asa, but they had not been in the front. Jameson, the one who teleported, had spiked black hair. Royce came too. And nestled in with many other girls was Matilida. Or, at least, the girl who Charlie could have sworn was the girl from Badlock. He saw that she was wearing jean shorts and a black long sleeve t shirt. That was odd. But he shrugged it off as he decided how he would introduce himself.

Jezebel was the last to come through the door. And _every_one noticed. She had a skimpy, jet black bikini on that sparkled in the sunlight. No cover up was seen. Jezebel made her way beside Uncle Paton. Charlie turned to his friends who were all in the same part of the pool. Naren signed to Bethany.

"Look at my uncle," he whispered.

"Why?" Olivia asked.

"That Jezebel lady is sitting beside him," Charlie explained.

"So?" asked Fidelio.

"Don't you think she's been a little…?" Charlie didn't know what to say. But he saw Bethany sign something.

"Persistent," translated Naren. Bethany may not have been here long but she sure did pick up on things.

"Exactly, thank you." He signed the last part. "Especially toward Uncle P?"

Other kids were getting in the pool so Charlie had to make this fast.

"Well, now that you say something" began Tancred, "it kind of seemed like she refused to acknowledge Emma and Julia's existence."

"And she seemed sort of happy when Aunt Julia said she could stay with us," added Emma."

"_And now_…" Charlie looked over his shoulder. His uncle was very uncomfortable.

"Isn't she like…twenty?" reasoned Dagbert. "And your uncle…is…well…not."

"Agreed," Charlie replied. "Emma you should probably keep a look out."

"I'm pretty sure we're just jumping to conclusions," said Emma," but whatever."

The evening soon melted into the night and sandwiches were eaten, cannon balls executed and people met. Charlie figured out that Anna was telepathic, Carrolton could fly, and Isaiah and Tanya could manipulate their voices. They were different from Una because they could make people fall asleep or do what ever they wanted, depending on the atmosphere of the song they sang. But Charlie never got to talk to the Matilda look alike. Bethany left the pool so Naren could swim with out translating all the time and she sat by the girl. One time, Charlie saw Bethany and the girl having a conversation, but he also saw Anna (the telepath) there, so she must have had something to do with it.

But before the evening was over, Charlie had to harass his uncle one more time. He swam over to the ledge and propped himself up by the elbows. Julia was sitting beside her husband, and Jezebel was there as well. Mr. Yewbeam was in the middle of eating his shredded chicken sandwich and Julia was gnawing on a carrot. She laughed when she saw Charlie staring at Paton and knew to be quiet.

"What?" Paton demanded with his mouth full.

"Uncle P I thought you were going to enjoy yourself tonight."

"Excuse me for destroying your bubble. Besides, I am old and as white as a pelican. You don't want to see what is under this shirt," he said with a laugh.

Charlie hopped up on the concrete and stood up. He sucked in his already thin body so that his ribs popped out in a disgusting manner.

"Oh Charlie!" Julia covered her eyes and laughed.

"Let's compare," Charlie stood beside his uncle who still sat on the chair.

"I don't think so," Paton said slightly amused.

"Oh, come on!" And in one smooth motion Charlie was flipped onto his uncle's shoulder and was flying through the air. He hit the water with a giant splash.

Soon the night was over and the Bones were leaving with wave's goodbye. Julia said she would stay and help Mrs. Sage with the dishes and Mr. Sage eventually came home from the courtroom. He tried to say hello to everyone, including the new people. All Vivienne could talk about was Amanda. Amanda had the prettiest room and best dolls and she even had the latest "Pretty – Moonlight – Dancing with Sparkles" Barbie Ballroom, or whatever it was. Charlie wondered how two people could become best friends so easily. Especially with Vivienne.

Sunday morning came and went. Charlie ate a lot like he did every weekend. And he tried to ignore Vivienne. Just before lunch, the phone rang in the hall. Charlie, Vivienne and Billy all ran for it. And just as Charlie was going to grab the receiver, Vivienne snuck under his arm and snatched it in her hand.

"Hewow? …Hi…umm, wait a minute." Vivienne pulled the phone from her ear. "Momma! Can Aunt Juwia come over for wunch?"

"Is she bringing two other- … I mean three other people?" Vivienne asked Julia.

"Yes."

"Okay, tell her to come whenever."

"Momma says you can come whenever." She put the phone down. Charlie scowled, but Billy laughed.

Billy didn't take Vivienne's theft, annoyance and rudeness so hard. He just thought that it was how things worked. Which was more or less true. And besides he had only really had a family for three years.

It took less than ten minutes for Emma, Paton, Julia and Jezebel to walk through the door.

"What a charming house Mr. and Mrs. Bone." Jezebel said when she walked in. Amy led her into the kitchen.

"You may call us by our first names," Amy insisted.

"Forgive me but I do not know them." Vivienne strutted up to the new woman and tugged on her skirt.

"My name is Vivienne. Those are my broders: Charwee and Billy. And my momma is Amy and my daddy is Lyell."

"Well thank you my dear." Jezebel said as she crouched down to the three year old's level.

Chairs were gotten and scooted around. The table was set and food laid on it. Maisie really went over board with Sunday lunches. There was a salad, main course and dessert. All of it delicious in every way. Every one sat down and began to pass around the food. Charlie was stuck beside his sister.

Vivienne began reaching for the spoon to the mashed potatoes. Lyell grabbed the edge and pulled it toward him.

"Daddy!"

"Vivienne," he warned.

"Daddy, I am a big girl now. I can spoon out da mashed potatoes by myself."

"No you can't," Lyell replied matter-of-factly. "Charlie _please _put some mashed potatoes on my plate." Lyell coaxed. Whenever Lyell or Amy wanted one sibling to say something to the other sibling, they spoke in the third person.

"Charwee doesn't like me."

"Do you like Charlie?" asked Amy.

"Well, if he would just like me first."

"Maybe Charlie thinks the same thing." Charlie smiled under his hand. He thought before he spoke this time. His parents were trying to get Vivienne to say something.

"But…he-I…" Vivienne stammered, trying to get out of the situation. She was VERY frustrated at this point. "I don't want mashed potatoes." She replied quietly. Billy and Charlie burst out in laughter.

"Vivienne don't lie to me," Lyell said sinisterly.

Charlie had had enough. He reached past his sister and went for the potato spoon. His mom smacked it away. That was when Charlie realized that after about ten o'clock at night, Charlie's parents were not snuggling on the couch. They were plotting, scheming and masterminding a way to get their two, biological children, to like each other. And he obeyed.

"Vivienne, I want you to, kindly and sweetly, just like you do best, _ask_ Charlie to help you." Charlie looked down at his sister expectantly. She made no eye contact.

"Charlie can you give me some mashed potatoes?" she mumbled. And Charlie knew his part.

"Well of course I will Viv'," Charlie said warmly. And then, he wasn't sure who started it, but in a few seconds the table was clapping. All but Jezebel. She was very confused.

"We… have some…problems," Amy explained.

There wasn't really any more table discussion until dessert. The Bones and Yewbeam liked their food, so most of the time it was silent. Except for whenever Paton exclaimed that some food was, "Simply divine," or, "Exquisite,"

"So, Jezebel," Julia asked, "What are your students doing today?" Jezebel swallowed.

"Some went to church today. And now I think they're just exploring your school. It's much older than ours. But enough about me. Tell me about _your_ family. How do you get the last name Bone and Yewbeam? Oh and Tolley."

"Everyone looked at Paton." He smiled with his spoon in his mouth.

Charlie knew his uncle was no longer going to be the unsocial person that was his norm. If there was anything Paton loved more than Julia and Maisie's cooking, it was family history.

"Well," he started. Paton sat up straighter in his chair. "We are all related to the Red King, obviously."

"Oh, what can you all-" Lyell cleared his throat significantly loudly before Jezebel continued.

And then he started coughing. Similar things had happened in the past. Vivienne didn't know about picture traveling or turning into birds. And she wasn't going to be learning anytime soon. So as she was worried about her fathers fake near death experience, Julia whispered in Jezebel's ear.

After things had quieted down, Paton explained in a very short form of his book, how things had branched off from the red king to make the Tolleys, Yewbeams and Bones. Jezebel was quiet the entire time as she gazed at Paton longingly. This was too weird for Charlie. He stared at the woman trying to hide his disgust.

Eventually, the sun descended behind the trees in front of Diamond Corner, and Paton had not left. That meant one of two things. Either the Bone house would be living in darkness until he _did _leave or they had to light candles. Amy was digging in one of kitchen drawers to answer.

However, Jezebel had not been informed of Mr. Yewbeam's endowment. So when she came downstairs from having a home tour, it was pretty dark in the hall.

"Vivienne, where's the light switch?" She pointed to the other wall. And Jezebel walked over to it. Instinctively, she turned it on.

At first, nothing catastrophic happened. Jezebel walked into the kitchen and saw Amy and Lyell lighting candles.

"What's going on?" she asked. The kitchen light was also not on.

"It's getting dark and we don't want the light bulbs blowing." Lyell explained dumbly.

"Why would they blow?"

"WHO TURNED THE LIGHT ON!" Paton roared through the house.

Amy jumped at the sound of his voice and laughed into her husband's shoulder. Uncle P very rarely got physically angry, but when he did, he got angry in a big way. Charlie's heart pumped ten times faster than it ever had. This was the Uncle Paton that Charlie hadn't seen ever since he met Julia. It was the Uncle Paton he didn't like. The humming started almost instantly. It got louder and louder until…_pop_!

"Paton? What-" That was Julia's voice. She was going to say what happened. But she knew when she walked into the hallway.

No one in the kitchen knew where Julia and Paton were. But most of them could see the little shards of glass that were littering the carpet in the hall.

Suddenly, Paton showed up in the kitchen doorway. His face was red and his eyes dark. This wasn't going to blow over easy. Paton's lungs were quickly filling and emptying. He braced himself on the sides of the door.

"Please explain to me…what would run through your mind," he spat, "to make you turn on the light!" There was silence. Paton glared right at Charlie.

"It wasn't me!" he wailed.

"Sure," Paton turned around and shoved himself form the door. "We should go," he must have said to Julia. Jezebel side stepped through the kitchen and they all left.

"Well you have to love him," Maisie sighed and blew out the candle.

In the hall the phone rang. Vivienne ran for it again but Amy pulled her back.

"Billy, can you go get that please? Be careful of the glass." Billy, hurriedly, but cautiously, disappeared from view behind the wall of the hall.

"Hello?" they all heard. Amy started helping her mother to blow out the candles. And Lyell was filling the sink with water for the dishes. "Oh. Uhh, Mom!" called Billy.

"Yes dear."

"Fidelio wants to know if Charlie and I can go to a movie tonight."

"Lyell, do you care sweetie?"

"I don't mind, but Charlie can't go." Charlie narrowed his eyes on his father. Lyell stared right back. There was a pause and then,

"Sure Fido I can go…No, Charlie's busy. Mm hmm. Bye." Billy came back into the kitchen. "Some one will be here at six."

"Why can't I go?" Charlie demanded to know.

"Your grades," Lyell replied.

"What's wrong with my grades!"

"Nothing. Except that you have a D in math, and a C in history."

"What's wrong with a C?"

"Honestly, if I wasn't the head of the school you attended, it wouldn't be that big of a problem. But I am, and it is. So guess what you're going to do while Billy and all of your friends are watching some movie?"

"You've got to be kidding me," Charlie hissed.

"No he's not," Amy put in. "Charlie I know you hate school and you'd rather be fighting the Bloor's, but they aren't here anymore. So you need to focus on school."

"This is so stupid!" Charlie yelled. "It's never been a problem before! Why do I have to be perfect, just because my dad runs the school!"

"Not perfect. Just above average." Lyell chimed sadistically. "Go do your homework."

Charlie growled in the back of his throat and stormed out of the room. He stomped all the way up the stairs and slammed his door.

Hours later, after Charlie had watched Billy climb into Naren's car, Charlie listened to his iPod and played with Claerwen, he decided to do his homework. He had a couple pages of math homework, and an essay for writing class. It took him less than an hour and a half to do it. And it was done without any magical help. Claerwen had previously expressed to Charlie that she would not be misused this way. It almost made him mad that he had done all of his homework.

Finally Charlie got up and walked to his door. He heard Vivienne outside, coming up the stairs. Charlie twisted the doorknob and walked through. His sister was waiting for him on the landing. Her foot was less than three inches from the ledge of the top step; like she was caught off guard. But Vivienne was never caught off guard. Charlie stopped right in front of her. A duel was about to happen and he waited for her to draw first. She did.

"Charwee. Do you hate me?" she asked nonchalantly in her 3 year old like language.

"Only when you give me reason to."

"I don't twi Charwee! You just always are mean to me!"

"Vivienne, that's life! I'm not mean, you're just a baby. And every time you don't get what you want, you go cry to daddy."

"I DO NOT!" she screamed and, naturally, she began to cry dry tears. "I'm a big girl now!" Vivienne rushed at her brother and began pounding her fists on his stomach. Charlie pushed back, grabbing her wrists. The small girl was nothing compared to the sixteen year old and she slid backward trying to run forward.

"Quit!" Charlie yelled at her. He had her fists in his hands out before him. Vivienne pulled back to get more momentum, but that's not what happened.

It almost happened in slow motion. Vivienne fell back and found out that most of her foot was not on solid ground. Only her toes were secured on the top step. She arched her back and flailed her arms to catch her balance, but it was too late. Charlie was in such shock, he couldn't do anything but stare with open eyes and a gaping mouth. Vivienne fell. She tumbled on her side and hit all fourteen wooden steps. _Plunk,plunk,plunk._

It was a horrific scene as Charlie's little sister's body smacked all the stairs, sending her arms, legs and hair every where.

After what seemed like days, Vivienne stopped, in a little crumpled ball at the bottom of the stairs.

"What was that?" it was Lyell.

Charlie froze again. As he got the scope of what happened, puddles of water filled his eyes. Nothing came of them, but they were there. And then his dad found the body on the floor. He stopped, and looked up the stairs.

Charlie tried to say something. Nothing came out. Lyell could see his son's mouth moving.

"Amy," he said in a whisper. "AMY!" Lyell screamed.

Charlie had never heard such a sound come from a grown man. But he was still grounded to his spot. She was so little down there, in a little ball of body on the floor.

Suddenly Amy ran to the hall from the left. She looked down at her daughter and then up at Charlie.

He himself was in quite a state. Charlie had never killed anyone. He had never hurt anyone. This was the most traumatic thing he had been a part of. His face was white, all emotion gone. He looked with a blank face at everyone who was around. Charlie saw his mother racing up the stairs to his side. She saw the water in his eyes, and he, the water in hers.

"Charlie what happened?" she said shakily.

"I…I didn't do it." He said slowly. "She… wasn't…paying…" But Amy cut off Charlie's rambling. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him.

Down at the bottom of the stairs, Lyell was giving Vivienne the breath of life.


	7. Unexpected Attraction

Unexpected Attraction

Charlie woke up groggily. At first he didn't know what was going on. It was bright; the room before him gleamed and it appeared to be mostly white. Everything was pretty blurry. Charlie blinked to clear his eyes. And then he remembered what happened last night. He jerked up and felt a sharp pain shoot up his side.

"Charlie," Amy called softly.

He coughed weakly and squinted at the sun coming through the window. His mother was behind him. Charlie reasoned that he must have fallen asleep on her lap. But he didn't remember getting here. Then he saw Vivienne. She was sleeping in the hospital bed. There was an oxygen tube in her nose and an IV stuck to her arm. Her hair was messy and surrounding her head. "Charlie," Amy said again.

As Charlie lifted his legs from the couch he looked at his mom. Her face was white. And she was tired. Her hair, half heartedly slung up in a pony tail.

"Charlie she's fine. Her arm is broken and there's some tissue tearing, but nothing more."

"I didn't do it mom," Charlie said flatly. His eyes never left Vivienne's body.

He got up and walked to the bed. Charlie laid his hands on the rail and still gazed at his sister.

"Where's Dad and Billy," he asked.

"They went to get lunch right when you woke up."

Suddenly, Vivienne twisted her head to face Charlie and licked her lips. She rolled her eyes under her eye lids and paused. Then she opened her bright blue eyes and looked at her brother. They did that for a while. Neither knew what to say. "Hi" seemed a little strange.

"That huwrt Charwee," Vivienne said gloomily.

"Yeah it didn't look pleasant," he joked. Amy came up beside her son.

"Awen't you going to say sowwy?" Vivienne was very tired and her voice croaked a lot.

"For what?" Charlie kept his voice down. He knew hospital rules. Amy looked accusingly at him.

"For saying dat I'm a cwy baby." Charlie's smile lit up his face. He looked at his mother who nodded.

Then, through the door came Billy and Lyell rolling a cart of food.

"Hey is someone awake?" Billy asked.

"Yes Billy," Vivienne chimed.

"Charlie," Lyell stated, no comfort in his voice.

"He didn't push her down the stairs Lyell," Amy said softly. Billy and Lyell were now on the other side of the bed, putting food on the table.

"Yeah, like Uncle Paton didn't blow up the light bulb yesterday." Amy shot him a look.

"Why don't you ask the girl in the hospital bed?" she snapped back. Lyell turned his head to his daughter as the other three exchanged glances.

"Vivienne, did Charlie push you down the stairs? Don't lie."

"No daddy. My foot wasn't on the stair the whole way so when I fell backward, my foot wasn't wight."

"And why did you fall backward?"

"Don't lie," Charlie glowered. Vivienne paused as she looked at her brother. Then she looked straight ahead, sighed and,

"I was going to punch him in da face." There was a long pause.

"Oh," was all Lyell said.

Minutes later, when the plastic containers of hospital food were passed around, and forks gotten, and drinks vended, Vivienne reached for her macaroni and cheese. With her right arm. She pulled it up and saw the awful thing that was now in it's place. Instantly she froze and assessed the situation. Charlie had called her a cry baby, and she _defiantly _was not one of those. She kept her emotions in check. But everyone was ready for the water works.

"Vivienne, it's just a cast sweaty. It's going to make you feel better." Amy said frantically.

"We got you pink because we thought it was your favorite color." Billy put in. Every one held their breath.

"It's bootiful," she cooed. The cast ran up her whole arm and it was the brightest highlighter pink the doctors could find. Charlie exhaled.

"You know, you can even have people sign on it if you want."

"Weally?"

Vivienne was stoked. She touched the cast and felt it. Then she found out that she could still see her fingers, and better yet, use them even though limitedly. By the end of lunch, the family was good. Charlie and Amy sat on Vivienne's bed while Billy and Lyell found chairs. They waited about and hour for the doctor to come discharge her. And then it was off to school.

Charlie got back in the middle of band practice. Dr. Saltweather had handed out the music book to Beauty and the Beast. Everyone was in the middle of practicing the interlude, when Charlie handed his excuse slip to his director. And as Dr. Saltweather was signing his slip, Charlie noticed a new girl in the clarinet section. It was _Matilda_. The clarinets were in front of the trumpets and Charlie sat in the first row of trumpets so this was the perfect bonding time. When his teacher nodded him off, Charlie dashed to his place and opened up his book to the page everyone was on.

After the bell rang, everyone slapped their music books shut and flew to the door. On a normal day, Charlie would have done the same, but today was not normal. This Matilda girl was not rushing to get out the door. She took her time taking her instrument apart and putting it in its case. All Charlie had to do was take his mouth piece out. The two exchanged awkward glances, until Charlie spoke up.

"I'm sorry; I'm not trying to be rude or anything of the sort, I just… I mean you look very familiar." Charlie slung his bag over his shoulder and stared at the girl.

"I live in northern Africa," she stated with a quizzical look. And she shoved a book in her bag.

"No, I mean…do you know that I'm endowed?" Charlie was having a hard time breaking the ice, but he refused to stop chipping.

"_Nooo,_ do you know that I'm endowed?"

"I kind of guessed. Isn't everyone from the heath endowed?" Charlie said with a chuckle and he waved his arm, beckoning her to walk with him. She agreed.

"Oh, right, I'm sorry that was a stupid question."

"I like those kinds," Charlie joked, "I always get them right." The girl must have smiled because she turned away a giggled behind her hand.

"Well I suppose I'm glad that I could raise your self esteem." Charlie watched her give a fantastic smile. "…any way, back to the endowment."

_Ice has been broken,_ Charlie thought happily to himself. "Right, I can travel to different times and worlds through paintings and pictures."

"That's cool," said the girl with a sarcastic grin.

"Hey! No hatin'! It _is_ cool, I would take you if I could but I can't sooo…"

"It's cool, I was just kidding." Suddenly the bell rang.

"Where are you headed?" Charlie asked.

"Chemistry."

"Oh," Charlie sighed, "I have to go to reading. See ya." The girl tossed her hair behind her shoulder and waved. As she was walking away, Charlie remembered something.

"Wait! What's your name?" he called. She turned and smiled.

"Milly."

After reading was study time and dinner. Charlie did his homework as he was told so by his father. For some reason Lyell saw it fit that Charlie and his friends should be split up and were thus separated into different study rooms. Something about having more room for the umpteen new kids. The only thing that made this slightly ok with Charlie was the fact that he was in the same room as Fidelio and Billy. Miss Hap was the classroom head.

Five thirty came and went and before Charlie really got tired of his math assignment, it was dinner time. Billy asked Fido if he wanted to come to dinner, but he declined saying it felt too formal. Frankly Charlie agreed. But, nonetheless he walked against the currant of students headed to the cafeterias with Billy behind him.

When Charlie did finally get down to the dining room, he was very surprised to see Jezebel and his uncle talking. Julia sat by herself so Charlie decided to sit by the lonesome woman.

"Emma not coming today?" he asked. Julia was startled when he said something, but beamed at Charlie.

"Oh, I don't think so. She still likes the green cafeteria. Even if it isn't Maisie's cooking." There was a pause. "But it seems Jezebel and Paton had fun today."

"Uncle P helped her?" Charlie questioned.

"Oh yes, we were just dropping by to see how things were going and if she needed anything at first. But then she showed us this rock with gold dust on it and…well I suppose you can imagine what happened then." Charlie nodded.

"Julia dear, I don't think that you are understanding what this means for the castle and anyone who is close to it. If the treasury of the Red King's Castle is real than who knows what sort of documents we may find. He may have hundreds of Claerwens just sitting around!"

"And not to mention the currency!" added Jezebel

"But why does gold dust make you think there _is_ a treasury." Charlie asked dumbly.

"Because, it means that there was gold, somewhere very near. The place we excavated today was richly ornamented." Explained Paton

"It's a castle for crying out loud!" Julia put in. "Ahh, never mind. I can't think at such a high level as these two do apparently." Julia rolled her eyes.

"Nonsense!" exclaimed Jezebel. "You know at least six more languages than I do."

"Come, come Julia." Paton said, "You are my wife and I shall not have you saying such ludicrous things."

Julia blushed. It wasn't every day you got a complement from Paton Yewbeam, unless you were his nephew's mother in law.


	8. Milly

Milly

That night, as Charlie was sleeping in his bed, he heard a noise. At first, just as last week, he thought nothing of it, but then he heard it again, louder. It was the piano playing. Its beautiful song drifted through the school like air, riding on the oxygen and floated into Charlie's ear, (and apparently only his.)

Charlie got up wondering which side of the family he got his "light sleeper" trait from. And just as the other day, he slipped on a robe, slippers, and headed out his door.

After a few minutes, Charlie had dismounted the three flights of stairs that led to the Bone's living quarters and now he was in the main hall. Moonlight seeped through the tall windows and put long silhouettes on the Persian rug. The chandeliers that hung from the rafters didn't need a light. All they needed was a clear night sky and they shined just as brilliantly as when they were on. _Better_, Charlie thought. The black eeriness of this room reminded Charlie of the old days, when the Bloors were in power. But the soft, calm moonlight and the silence, reminded him that there was nothing of those old days to dwell on. Just, maybe memories.

The boy with the tousled black hair was torn from his fantasy by the song. He recalled what he needed to do. Consider any other place other than the Music Department there may be a piano or keyboard. Nothing came to mind.

He walked forward though. Half of his body in the shadows, where the moon didn't reach; the other half in the light. It felt sort of weird but he kept walking. He had no idea where he was going but he was going to get there.

Charlie was by the guys dorms before anything really interesting happened. He was standing there, looking up the staircase to where he used to sleep, when he heard a moan. It wasn't a ferocious noise or anything hostile, but it did make Charlie rush to the side of the stairs and into the shadows of where the stairwell met the landing and hung over him. Charlie couldn't see who it was so he slipped a peak in between the posts of the railing. He shrunk back down.

He saw a foot, with toenails painted and the bottom of a black nightgown. _That better be a girl coming down those steps, but what is a girl doing on the guys half of the school._ Charlie thought. As the girl walked down passed him, he saw her head and just enough of her face to know it was Milly.

"Milly!" Charlie called softly from the shadows.

Milly whirled around. Charlie couldn't see her face, but her arms were tense and her hands balled up into fists. The song that perplexed Charlie played a little louder in the background. He wasn't sure if she heard it.

"Hello?" she called her voice broke. She scanned right over where Charlie was. "Hello?"

"It's me. Charlie," he said slowly coming from his hiding so not to scare her.

"Who's Char- ooh. You gave me quite a fright," Milly said scoldingly.

"Yeah, sorry. What are you doing?"

"Well, I uhh…I think I'm lost." Milly said looking back up the stairs where she had come. Charlie laughed. "Well it down right isn't funny!" She shot at him, snapping her head back to Charlie.

"I'm sorry. I just remember doing that a lot when I came here."

"Right, how old were you like…five?"

"Try twelve," Charlie countered. Milly smiled and shook her head. "Any way you have no idea where you are right?"

"Yeah, but I guess that's the guys dorms isn't it?"

"Oh, yeah. The girls' dorms are the other way. Come on I'll show you."

Charlie led Milly from his hiding place and started walking to the main hall, where he had been entranced by the windows. He was excited to show Milly this spectacle but when they came to it, the hall was dark. _As dark as the rest of the school_. Charlie stopped to try to figure out what was going on.

"What's that music?" Milly looked around. But Charlie already knew what she was talking about.

"I've heard it before." He answered.

"Oh, so it's normal…right?"

"No. I heard it first last week when I was sleeping."

"Hmm, do you know who it is? Are they allowed to be up at this hour?"

"Well, uhh, no and, it depends. First of all there should only be one place where there are pianos. The Music Department."

"Naturally," Milly chimed matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, but no one was there."

"And when you were there, the music was still playing right?" Charlie gave her a look. "Just checking."

Charlie kept walking and Milly ran up beside him. He smiled in his mind. The two went past the big windows and took a right before the door to go to the Bone's quarters. They walked through an arch and ascending before them was the stairs to the girls' dorms. Charlie turned and walked to the light switch. Milly was only half a step behind him. He turned it on and the hall was lit with dim light. That's when Charlie noticed _all_ of what Milly was wearing.

Milly not only wore a black nightgown that fell past her knees but also a long sleeve, bright red, shirt that left her shoulders bare. It kind of looked like she was only wearing the sleeves. Milly looked down, trying to hide her face from Charlie.

"Ohh," she groaned, "don't say anything." She pushed some hair behind an ear.

"Does it have anything to do with your endowment?" She nodded slightly. "Don't sweat it. My uncle has to wear his fedora everywhere otherwise…well bad things will happen.

Milly made her way to the bottom of the stairs, Charlie followed her. She took the first step and Charlie stuck out his hand to be polite. He hadn't grabbed her hand for half a second before Milly jerked it away. She looked at Charlie, frightened and shook up.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Charlie apologized.

"Endowment," Milly explained.

"Milly?" Charlie looked up the stairs and into the eyes of Miss Hap. Charlie couldn't help but notice how "eerily dazzling" Miss Hap looked at nighttime. Her dark curly hair neatly trickled down one shoulder. Her dark purple, silk robe enclosed a black nightgown that brushed the top of her knees. "Charlie what's going on?"

"She was lost and I was up…trying to er'…find something." Hannah studied the two carefully but said,

"Alright, both of you should be getting off to bed. Turn the light out Charlie." Milly raced up the stairs to the landing.


	9. Love For You

Love for you

The next day Charlie refused to eat breakfast with his family. There was so much he needed to discuss with his friends. The whole piano situation and he needed to ask Emma about Jezebel. And he needed to talk to Milly.

Charlie made his way to the lunch line with Billy. They talked about small things. Dreams and stuff like that. When the two entered the blue cafeteria they got their lunch and sat down. Charlie waved down Gabriel and scanned the rest of the room for Milly.

"Why are you eating in the cafeteria?" Gabriel asked as he sat down.

"Who peed in your cheerios," Billy shot back playfully.

"Uhh, sorry. I think it's the pants today." The boys laughed.

"Hey, there's Fido. Hey Fido!" Billy yelled. Fidelio came trotting over.

"Look who joined the commoners," he joked. And he sat down.

"So what brings you to the Blue Cafeteria?" Gabe asked Charlie and.

"I needed to talk to you guys," Charlie said with a mouth full of oatmeal.

"Mmm hmm. About what," Fido said. Charlie held up one finger signaling that he was done eating. Billy started it for him.

"Charlie keeps hearing things at night."

"Someone is playing a piano and it's not the ones in the Music Department." Gabriel's face lost color and any hint of life for about a second and then went back to eating. No one noticed. _It was probably the pants._

"I," Gabriel began, "unlike you, enjoy sleeping."

"Yeah I haven't heard anything either," said Fidelio.

"Hey I like sleep too, but sometimes curiosity gets the upper hand."

"We know Charlie, we know," Billy said.

"Well would you guys mind getting up tonight and helping me look?" Gabriel died again. He let his spoon fall on the table and he tried a hard swallow but his mouth was too dry. He didn't know what to do.

"You ok, Gabe, Gabe?"

"Yeah I'm ok…it's these pants." Gabriel picked up his spoon.

"Sorry about your luck," Billy empathized. Gabe looked dumbly at his tray.

"Anyway, do you want to help?" Charlie tried again.

"Sure," came the answers. Answers from every person but one.

Later, outside the school there were the noises of digging, stone hitting stone and someone chipping away at the stone. They were the sounds of a regular construction site, or an excavation area, which ever way you want to look at it. And in that mess, was Jezebel and Paton.

Jezebel was deep within the ruins. And the ruins were surrounded my dust and smoke and large rock that had been taken out. Mr. Yewbeam, was investigating one of the boulders.

Suddenly there was a boom and a cloud of smoke billowed out of the front. Paton jumped but went back to work. Jezebel on the other hand came running from the entrance.

"Oh! It's hot out here. Mr. Yewbeam how can you still be wearing that long sleeve shirt."

"Practice." He said flatly. "What happened?"

"Just…um…some dust was kicked up is all."

"Find anything?"

"No, you?"

"Yes sort of. You could take a look if you want." Jezebel jogged over to where he was and looked down at the rock. Her mouth slowly dropped open.

"This is what you call 'sort of'?" She touched the smooth surface. "Mr. Yewbeam you realize that it's a slab of marble inlaid with gold right?"

"Are you insulting my intelligence?"

"No, but I have a feeling you're not trusting mine." Jezebel teased. Paton hmmfed.

He grabbed the front of his shirt and waved it back and forth. Then he found the top button of his shirt and began unbuttoning.

"Paton darling," Julia called. Paton turned to her and smiled. Julia however, did not. "Umm, it's about time for lunch are you coming in? Or are you too enthralled in your all important work that I don't understand."

"Oh, Julia, do come see what this man found in the boulders." Julia came up beside her husband and covered her mouth with her hand.

"Is that real marble? And gold?"

"Yes," Jezebel answered.

"It was rhetorical." Paton said.

"Paton," Julia warned, "Excuse him." Julia stared at the rock some more. "Well, Paton what do you say to some lunch. I think it's chicken today."

"Umm, no thank you. I'd like to stay out here and help Jezebel." Julia's face dropped. Paton never passed up lunch, especially when he was doing physical labor.

"Okay," she said not letting herself show any emotion. "I'll see you at home." Julia walked away.

It was just after lunch. Amy Bone had enjoyed lunch with her husband and Julia; and was now walking out the door. She was surprised to see Julia outside, sitting at the fountain with the swans. Amy looked at the elegant looking woman well aged in years. Julia had had many birthdays, that was obvious, but was still pretty. This woman had just become wise looking. Her imperfections showed, but no one looked at that. Paton had chosen well. Julia was supporting herself with her arms behind her and her feet dangled over the edge. Amy sighed and walked down the steps.

Julia jumped when she heard Amy approach. But smiled and swung her feet back, out of the pool.

"Hello Amy," she said.

"Hi Julia, I see you took my spot."

"You won't tell on me will you?" she said with a smirk.

"Oh, what Lyell doesn't know won't hurt him." Amy slid onto the concrete next to Julia. She held her wrinkled hands in her lap. "Julia, is something wrong? You were awful quiet at the table today."

"Oh, it's nothing." Julia laughed a little.

"Julia," Amy took one of her hands in hers, "tell me." Julia sighed before answering and squinted into the sun.

"It's Jezebel," Julia shook her head. " She's, she's, so…flirty."

"What?"

"I know. I didn't think it was anything at first either but… I don't know."

"Wait, is it really that big of a deal?"

"I don't know! She walks around the house in these skimpy outfits and constantly talks to him. Oh! The other night she came down the stairs in a _towel _and asked Paton where the extra soap was."

"Are you joking! Where were you?"

"I was getting groceries."

"So how did you find out?"

"Emma told me. That's part of the problem too. Paton never tells me anything. So I have no idea what's happening right now in those blasted ruins."

"Julia," Amy said gently, "Paton is a good man. Does he like her?"

"I…don't know. Ahh I don't know anything! I'm so lost Amy!"

"If you ask me, there is no way Paton is going to let Jezebel shake his love for you. For him to ask you to marry him, he would need some generous emotion."

"But Jezebel is so smart and is beautiful and perfect for him. And I feel like Paton thinks of Emma as a burden. Jezebel doesn't have anything like that. It's just her."

"Julia, you are married to him. Don't you think that means anything?"

"I want it too, I really do…but…" Amy let go of her hand and stood up.

"Darling I have to go see Vivienne. But remember that Paton married you. And if I had to give any advice, I'd just let it go and see what happens. Maybe it's nothing." Julia nodded and watched Amy drive away in her car.


	10. Developments in the Ruins

Developments in the Ruins

Charlie had gathered his forces in the grass since Jezebel was working on the ruins. Bethany hadn't wanted to come so it was just the normals. They were lounging, standing and doing whatever was comfy. Charlie started his speech rather quickly.

"So there's this piano," he began, "I heard it in the middle of the night and went searching. But whoever it was wasn't there. I looked in all the rooms in the Music Department, but no one was there. In fact, the music was louder in the hallway than near the pianos."

"So the music was still playing when you were looking right?" Asa asked. His arm was slung over Olivia's shoulders.

"What the heck! Yes it was playing!" Now usually Charlie wouldn't be so emotional with Asa, but this was the second time someone asked him that same question. Did they think he was crazy?

"Just asking Charlie, sorry."

"So, I wanted to ask you guys if you would meet me in the hall at like midnight. You don't have to come, but I could use some more minds."

In the corner of his eye Charlie saw Milly sauntering across the field.

"So just come if you can," Charlie said, never taking his eyes off Milly. He shuffled through his friends and ran toward her.

Milly didn't try to escape. She stopped walking when she saw Charlie coming after her and she stared right through his heart. Charlie wasn't sure if the sweat beading on his forehead was from the heat or Milly. He also noticed, once again, Milly's long sleeve shirt.

"Milly," he said when he was near enough. Milly said nothing. "Milly, I just wanted to apologize. I don't know what I was thinking."

"Yeah, I'm sorry too."

"Well do you want to help us find the pianist or do you like your sleep?"

"I don't think I should."

"Why not?" Charlie asked but the bell rang and that's when Milly walked away from him.

That night, on the way to dinner, Emma decided to eat with the Bone's. Charlie and Billy walked with her.

"Emma, has anything happened at your place. With you know who?" Charlie asked. Emma was smug but nodded.

"She came down the stairs in a towel and asked Uncle Paton where the soap was."

"I take it Julia wasn't there." Billy said. Emma nodded again.

"But I was. Charlie I hate to say it but I think maybe you're right. Jezebel may have something for Uncle P."

"That's slightly disheartening. What did my uncle do?"

"He asked me to get it for her."

"That's better. But still. What is that chick's problem?"

"I have no idea, but Paton's keeping his distance."

"Does Julia know?" Billy asked.

"Oh, yeah."

Charlie opened the door that led to the stairs. _This is crazy,_ he thought as he walked up the steps. First this random woman comes to Bone's and demands that she be allowed in the ruins to excavate it. Then she starts getting flirty with his uncle. There's a person playing a mysterious piano and a girl that looks exactly like Matilda who refuses human interaction. It was a lot to wrap your mind around, but Charlie was used to it. It had been a few years, so he was rusty, but he coped nonetheless.

When the three walked into the dining room, they saw Paton and Jezebel covered in dust, and laughing. Emma gave Charlie and Billy a look and went to her seat.

"Uncle P, are you okay."

"Of course Charlie. But…guess what we found in the ruins."

"I have no idea."

"There was an arch with script above it. Jezebel translated it and it says: Most men use currency to show wealth, but this man uses it to show kindness."

"And Mr. Yewbeam said that he read somewhere that a room of great wealth lays in the red castle with that exact script above the door."

"That's good news right?" Billy questioned.

"But of course! By this time tomorrow we should have at least half of the room excavated. You could bring your friends if you like."

"Does that mean you'll be leaving us Jezebel?" Julia had just walked in and must have heard most of the conversation.

"I'm afraid yes. I suppose next Friday would be appropriate." Julia took her seat on the other side of Paton. In a few minutes, Lyell arrived and reported that Amy was staying at the house with Vivienne.


	11. Suspicion

Suspicion

That night, Charlie hardly fell asleep. He was so excited to finally figure out who the pianist was. He figured that with even three people they could catch the person in time. So when he heard the familiar song start, he raced out of bed and down the stairs.

When Charlie got into the hall there were five people there. Their shadows were strung across the floor. He walked toward them but didn't say anything. He didn't know exactly who they were except for the small creature on all fours who had to be Asa.

"Charlie Bone, we were about to leave just now," someone hissed. It sounded like a girl and then when she turned in the moon light, her features showed. Everyone's did. Olivia had spoken to him. Asa was obviously there, Fidelio, Billy (who had obviously beaten him) and Dagbert. Charlie was surprised to see Fidelio had not brought Gabriel. But he shrugged the matter off.

"Sorry, it takes me more time to get here." He replied. "What do you think of the song?"

"It's very…sad," answered Dagbert.

"Yeah, not to mention creepy. The way it gets louder and softer and rises and falls in tempo. I'm not sure I've ever heard anything like it," said Fidelio.

"Well I think it's beautiful. It sounds like whoever's playing is seriously hurt inside and can't find any way to make them self feel better other than playing the piano." Olivia said dreamily and she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, everyone was staring at her. Even Asa stopped wagging his tail and he growled something.

"Asa said that was so soppy it made him want to puke out his guts."

"Well pardon me!" hissed Olivia, "I happen to like soppy. Something you obviously can't give!"

"Are you two like…" Fido trailed off.

"We _were_ but now I'm not so sure." Olivia snapped. Asa whined.

"I don't think I need to translate," Billy said.

"Alright guys. C'mon, we need to think here. Where could it be coming from?" Charlie grounded everyone's attention.

"Where would another piano be other than in the Music Department?" Fidelio asked.

"Maybe the attics," Billy suggested, "But those would take days to look through."

"If only we didn't have to go to school for the rest of the week," huffed Olivia. That gave Charlie an idea.

"Yeah," he said. "What if we didn't."

"Asa wants to know if your dad would really let us out."

"No," Charlie said bluntly, "but there are…_things _that don't have to go to school." He looked at Billy.

"Oh right." Billy said in awe. He then started to make little squeak noises and sniffs.

"Good idea you two!" Olivia squealed.

"I don't get it," Fidelio said confused.

"Just watch," ordered Charlie.

Billy was still sniffing and squeaking. He did the same noises in the same pattern for about a minute. _Sniff, sniff,sqeeeeaaak,sniff, squeak squeak. _Eventually he stopped and stared into the darkness.

"The first ones should be coming any second now." Billy informed his friends.

And they did come. At first it was hard to hear their little padded footsteps on the stone floor, but as they got closer the sound of tiny claws could be heard surrounding the five. Every one looked around. Making sure the critters had not come too near. And they didn't . The first ring stopped about a foot away from the group and the second ring stopped behind the first and so on until there were about six rings. The tiny mice waited patiently for instruction. Their tails swayed, their noses twitched and their ears were constantly moving.

"Billy talked in mouse again, only this time the sounds were much more random and faster. All at once the mice dispersed and in three seconds were gone from sight. Not even their sounds could be heard.

"Oh," Fidelio said. His face was white as snow. Billy smiled.

"They said they would have the job done in three days and-" Asa had barked and snarled all in one breath.

"There's someone here. A…a girl?" Billy was having a hard time translating between horrid snarls and actual talk. But that was all Charlie needed.

"Run!"

The next day, after breakfast Charlie was leisurely walking to the Music Department. The regular hum of students gabbing away filled Charlie's ears. The different colored jackets mingling around was familiar, but not the bad way, and the sunshine streaming from the windows made the main hall bright. It reminded Charlie of being outside with his friends on the weekend. This was what school should be. Minus the learning perhaps.

But suddenly there was a scream. It was not of terror, but maybe excitement. Everyone on their way to the different departments stopped suddenly and looked around. Sure enough, in front of the Drama Department, there was a semi circle of purple jackets looking up at a sheet on the door. And from the center of that circle Olivia was lifted up on someone's shoulders. Asa no doubt. Her face was beat red and she had the biggest smile Charlie had ever seen on her. He looked around for anyone he knew. Charlie barely saw Gabriel through a throng of people.

"Gabe!" Charlie yelled. "Gabe!" Gabriel looked around and caught Charlie's eye. "What's going on?" he mouthed. And pointed over to Olivia.

"Belle," Gabriel said silently. He fake shot himself in the head. Charlie gave a confused look but Gabe waved it off. But Charlie was beginning to catch on. Was there a love triangle amongst some of his closest friends? He would need to find out.

Outside, Jezebel and Paton were digging and reading whatever they could. Before Paton had gotten there, a slight rocky mess had been made when the archeologist drilled through some boulders. The rocks had fallen and now a small recess had formed. Both Jezebel and Paton could squeeze through and get a glimpse of what was now known to be the Red King's Treasury. Paton handed his partner a flashlight to let her get some more visual clarity. Jezebel slid under the arch and crawled on top of the rocks. She kept going forward until only her legs could be seen.

"Do you see anything?" Paton asked crouching down so he could hear. Julia suddenly appeared behind a rock to the right of her husband.

"How's it going Paton?" she asked, not getting too close. There was caution tape everywhere and intimidating college students with their professors. The excavation had become a big thing in the past days.

"Oh it's coming darling, this is our fist glimpse of the treasury. Would you like to take a look?"

"Is it safe-" but she was cut off by the abrupt rumble of rocks. Jezebel screamed and Paton grabbed her thigh with both hands

"Jezebel is everything ok?" he yelled.

"Pull me out!" she wined. Paton pulled but made little progress. He bent lower and reached underneath the arch. He grabbed the woman by the waist and she shot from the opening. Julia refused to watch.

"Well it _was _fascinating." She said when she rolled over onto her back. "I could see a column that looked the same as the hunk you found." She stuck up a hand. Paton took it and hulled Jezebel up. Julia suppressed an angry outburst and left without a word. Paton looked around for his wife but didn't find her. He was confused, but thought nothing of it.

This week there were to be thunderstorms. Some, fairly severe. And today was one of the severe days. Sure during the morning it seems as if nothing too terrible would be happening. But the sky quickly began darkening before lunch. Charlie gave Tancred a sarcastically accusing look as he passed him on the way to the cafeterias. Tancred shrugged but then shook his head with a laugh. Now the main hall was as dark as most days Charlie remembered at Bloors; with out the windows and chandeliers.

But then another thing toyed with Charlie's mind. It was Gabriel. Or rather, Gabriel, Asa and Olivia. Apparently Asa and Olivia were talking, but Gabriel was in there too. Or so Charlie thought. So when he sat down at the table with Fido, Gabe and Billy. Charlie tried to cut to the chase.

"Man, two days in a row Mr. Bone," Fidelio said cheerily.

"Yeah, yeah. Gabe we need to talk." Gabriel stopped, spoon inserted into mouth, and stared at Charlie motionless. "Do you like Olivia?" All eyes turned to Gabriel, accusingly. He slurped his chocolate pudding and licked his lips all without looking at Charlie. He scratched his droopy hair and tucked some behind his ear. This apparently wasn't Gabriel's comfort zone. He sat down his spoon and looked Charlie square in the eye.

"What's it to you?"

"Aw, c'mon Gabe we're like your closest friends and you won't tell us if you like another one of our friends?"

"Well yeah, I _like _her…" he trailed off.

"Gabriel Silk quit it! You know dang well what Charlie means just tell us!" Fidelio barked.

"Yes! Gabe yelled. A few of the people in the seats around them stared at the four boys.

Billy, Fidelio, and Charlie erupted in "Ooohs" covering their mouths and laughing, pointing at Gabriel. Gabe, on the other hand was hiding his face and covering his laughs with his shirt.

"Shut up guys!" Gabriel pleaded. But it was no use. Fidelio shoved Gabe to the side and patted him on the back.

"Man you have some major competition!" Billy exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know but…I don't know what 'Liv sees in that guy!" Moans came from the three listening to Gabriel.

"All we wanted to know was if you liked her. Not the details!" Fidelio said.

"Sorry."


	12. Trouble

Trouble

The rest of the day, Charlie was bored. All he could do was think. So through Math and band practice he thought about Milly and how things had gone from friendly, to not talking, and how even though she wasn't talking to him, Charlie thought he was mildly falling for her. Milly had the gentlest voice and a great smile. It made Charlie want to smile thinking about it. And the way she moved and just… _was_.

And now he had to sleep in his bed at night, waiting for the mice to find the piano. He couldn't do anything, just lay there, doing nothing, the song he that he had was trying to figure out, now became his lullaby. He hated that, doing nothing. It made Charlie feel useless.

Also, there was that conversation Charlie had had with the Red King. He had said that there were other people who could travel through pictures. Charlie had always thought that there were only a handful of endowed and that their endowments made them unique. But now it seemed like nothing made Charlie different from other people.

But study time came quickly. Charlie and Fidelio kept passing silly notes with hearts and cheesy poetry to Gabriel who tried his hardest not to laugh. He read every one, from the time Miss Hap said to be quiet to the time the bell rang for free time.

Charlie trotted down the steps with Billy at his side. He moaned internally when he saw the herd of students rushing to their dorms. And then he saw Milly. Today she was wearing a t shirt and even jean shorts. But under her shorts she was wearing black leggings and gloves with little bows that went up to her elbows. Charlie had to talk to her.

"Billy, go on ahead without me."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm going to invite someone to dinner."

"Alright, I'll see you there." Billy went on with out his brother and was swallowed by the plethora of jackets. Charlie rushed down the steps and this time, went with the currant of people. He slid in the first opening he could find and slowly crept between people. Many sorrys and excuse mes were passed. Milly was on the other side of the hall so Charlie was nearly to the cafeterias before he got to her. But he eventually got near enough to her to grab her elbow and tug. She stopped and Charlie wiggled his way around two guys who were not very appreciative.

"Hi Milly," he said getting in front of her.

"Charlie what are you doing," she asked.

"Milly…actually I don't know your last name, but I don't care if you don't like me and I don't care if you refuse to talk to me but I am asking you to come eat dinner with my family."

"Why?" Milly narrowed her eyes.

"It doesn't matter. You are coming with me." Charlie took her hand and led her through the maze of people.

Charlie and Milly were met with everyone already sitting at the long banquet table laughing and chatting away. This dinner seemed exceptionally fancy. There were red roses in all the vases that went down the table and fancy red china wear was at the place settings. Milly tugged on Charlie's arm.

"What's with all the candles?" she whispered. Charlie bent down and whispered back into her ear.

"My Uncle Paton, the one on the other side of the table," Milly glanced but quickly came back to Charlie, "is a power booster. If he looks at anything electric, it'll explode."

"Ooo," she said, actually impressed.

"Are you informing our new guest of the reason for the candles?" Paton's tone was dark, but he smiled behind the wine glass he was swirling. Milly's face had been wiped of any happiness or color that was just there, but Paton then said, "Rest assured. I was not accusing you of any wrong doing. Come sit, the both of you."

Charlie led Milly to the second chair from his sister and pulled it out. His face was beat red from embarrassment. Amy flashed a smile to Julia and Lyell. When Charlie sat down, his father asked him,

"Charlie you haven't forgotten what today is have you?" Lyell looked at Paton and Julia, then back to Charlie. Charlie looked dumbly around the table but said nothing.

"Let's see," said Julia dramatically putting her finger on her chin. "What could have possibly happened about three years ago, near Easter?" Paton smiled widely.

"Oh! Does it have anything to do with wedding bells?"

"Yes," answered Julia.

"Then it must be your anniversary."

"Yes again."

"Congratulations," Milly said shyly.

"Charlie I see you've brought one of my students along," Jezebel said, quickly changing the subject.

"Thank you Milly for the congratulations," Julia said. Did Charlie sense a little bit of an attitude coming from his aunt? He grinned inwardly.

"Yes, Jezebel I hope you don't mind." Charlie went back to what the red head had said.

"Oh no. I just thought that if you would befriend anyone, you would bring some one with more of a valuable talent." Charlie couldn't believe his ears. He looked at Milly who had now dropped her head. He then glanced at Vivienne who was happily enjoying her chicken.

"As we are talking about her musical talent," Charlie tried to defend, "the clarinets are the horn base of a band. They are indeed valuable."

"That is not what I am talking about Charlie." There was no kindness in Jezebel's voice. For the first time, the whole Bone/Yewbeam family was seeing the part of Miss Jezebel that all of her students must see on a regular basis down in Africa.

"I suggest we all just _stop_ talking or start doing so on another matter." Amy was not happy either. She wanted to keep her baby's ears shielded and Jezebel wasn't helping.

"I simply think that having such a useless talent is not worth mentioning."

"Those useless talents were given to us for a reason," Charlie spat.

"Yes," Lyell went on, folding his arms over his chest, "Tell us Jezebel, what is your talent?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk…Pity," Paton scolded.

Jezebel's confident manner left her eyes and the corners of her mouth. She stared at her plate of food, shoved back her chair, and stormed out of the room. They were left in silent. Charlie looked at Milly. She could have been crying. Charlie wasn't sure, her long locks were covering her face. He didn't care. Charlie put down his fork and snuck his hand under the table. He felt Milly's fingers and curled his with hers. She didn't slap his hand away. She grabbed it and kept it for a while.

"Momma am I in twouble?" Vivienne asked.

"No your not honey."


	13. All Alone

All Alone

Later that night, above the bookstore Paton was waiting for his wife to get out of the bathroom. He was reading a book, lounging in the couples' bed in his long flannels and white t shirt. Candles dimly lit the room as they did every night. On the dresser in the corner, there were two pictures. One of him and Julia on their wedding day, the other of Julia and Emma.

The bathroom door then opened and Julia came in wearing her red nightgown. Her hair was wet and curly. She smiled at her husband and lay beside him on the bed.

"Thank you for making my bath Paton, it was lovely." Julia got out some lotion and lathered some on her legs. Paton put away his book and took off his half moon glasses. He kissed Julia on the cheek and now lay with his back on the bed frame and started lightly scratching her back. He looked ahead thoughtfully.

Julia took a breath. "Paton can I ask you something?"

"Of course darling."

"What do you think of Jezebel?" Julia was not looking at her husband, which made him antsy.

"Forgive me, for not immediately answering, but there is an emotion behind this question. Isn't there? Some motive, some vexation."

"Yes," Julia replied meekly. She was very nervous. She didn't really know how Paton would handle this. Julia rubbed and re-rubbed lotion into the same spot so she wouldn't have to look at her husband.

"Tell me." Paton commanded softly. Julia didn't for a while.

"She's so…so…she's so…pretty, and flirty, and smart, and touchy and she doesn't have certain…obligations."

"Julia Ingle- Yewbeam. Are you jealous?"

"I don't want to be! But…"

"Well to answer your question my dear I don't like her all that well. As many people. She talks too much and she's everything you just said. Except for pretty." Julia gave him a look.

"Don't lie Paton."

"Well she isn't as beautiful as you." Mr. Yewbeam rested his hand on her thigh.

"But she's so young."

"Julia if there was one thing I lusted about that woman, it would be her youth. And that is it!"

"What about Emma," Julia asked.

"What _about_ Emma?"

"Well, do you think she's…a burden?" Paton erupted into his hearty laughter that Julia loved. Emma, laying in her room, gave the door a sideways glance. Julia looked at her husband for the first time. Paton took her hand and squeezed.

"Julia you must know that these few years have defiantly been new. My sisters are no longer here, I moved in with you, I got married for heaven's sake! Emma was something else new, someone else to get used to, someone else to take care of. So if anything, I simply have to get used to being around and being such a big part of your life."

"Oh Paton I'm sorry for doubting you." Julia flopped onto Paton's chest and hugged him. "I love you."

"Yeah," Paton sighed. Julia looked at him as if to say, 'really?' "I'm just kidding. I love you as well." Paton planted a kiss on Julia's forehead which she accepted gratefully.

"…and Julia," Paton said. "Remember that you are _Mrs._ Yewbeam. That means a great deal to me and I know it does to you also." Julia closed her eyes and after a while, both were almost asleep, but Julia suddenly jumped and patted Paton on the chest.

"Honey, I forgot to tell you. Today when I came into the ruins I was coming to tell you that my mother called. A family friend died and the funeral is in two days. I'm leaving in the morning." Paton groaned.

"I have to be alone with Jezebel for the rest of the week?"

"Just kick her out of the house." The couple fell asleep in each other's arms.


	14. Thine Enemy Smited

Thine Enemy Smited

The next morning, Paton awoke early. Julia was packing her bags. Emma normally liked to sleep in her own bed and walked to school. Mr. Yewbeam walked passed Jezebel's room. He rolled his eyes. The only reason he had been nice to the blasted woman was because he thought Julia wanted it. But now,… well. And then came Emma's door. Normally, Paton wouldn't look in on her. However, when Julia was leaving or was gone, Paton wanted an A+ on his grade card with Emma. So, in his mind, it was up to him to make her time alone with him in the house the best ever.

Therefore, the tall man made his way down the stairs. The once flaming candles were now smoldering. Smoke was snaking up into the air in multiple positions. There was enough light coming in from the windows for him not to relight them. He walked into the kitchen and got out the sausage and pancake mix.

Paton wasn't really the cooking type, but when there were step by step directions on the back, he could handle himself. He poured the orange juice, flipped the pancakes, and browned the sausage. He even risked tossing the pancake from the skillet and catching it again, grinning at his minor success. When everything was done and plated, he heard Julia shuffling down the stairs. He hurried to help her. Julia tossed him her smallest bag.

"Paton you do too much," she said giving him a kiss.

"Ahh, nonsense. It keeps me busy."

"Are you going to help Jezebel today in the ruins?"

"Julia. I'm sorry, but I think my curiosity will get the best of me today."

"It's alright." Julia looked around. "I need to leave. The train leaves in forty five minutes." She grabbed her other bag and hung it on her arm so that one was free to open the door. But Paton was quick enough to grab her free hand and twirl her around. Paton kissed her again and gave her a hug.

"I love _you_," he whispered and let her go. With the jingle of the door bells, and a smile goodbye, Julia disappeared.

In exactly point five seconds, the familiar springy pitter patter of Emma's feet on the stair case sounded in Paton's ears. She looked tired, but it was time to get up.

"Good morning," she croaked. Paton smiled.

"I made breakfast, do you want some?"

"Did you burn it?" she said. There was so little sarcasm in her voice that anyone else would have taken it personally. But not Paton.

"Well no. I hope your okay with that." Emma walked into the kitchen.

"Ooo." Emma said delightedly. Paton followed her and pulled her chair out. He got the two plates of pancakes and sausage. He stood by the table and showed her the plates of food. She took the one with less food with a smile. After some silence, Emma spoke.

"Uncle Paton, did Aunt Julia tell you about Jezebel?"

"Oh yes," he said sipping some orange juice. "I get to be mean now." Paton gave a harsh smile.

"That's awful."

"And do you know what the first thing I did was?"

"Do I want to?" Paton laughed.

"Where is Jezebel's breakfast?" Paton stared at the girl in front of his. Emma looked around.

"You have got to be kidding me." She covered her face with both hands.

That day, school…just happened. As if nothing was going on. Charlie was constantly bouncing his knee, frustrated that he couldn't concentrate since he had to wait for the mice; Gabriel smiled at Olivia and was friendly to Asa, however distant; Emma walked around with Tancred and spent her free time watching him carve a bird in the Art Department. She tried to not think about what Paton said that morning about Jezebel because every time she did she would bust out laughing. And what about Paton and Jezebel? Well, by dinner they were bringing out artifacts and books, and things that most people could not identify. Paton tried to be harsher, but he was so excited. Even for him. And Jezebel got the wrong idea from his bluntness, and puns. She thought he was flirting. So her hard work had finally paid off and the man of her dreams would be hers by ten o' clock.

If anything really exciting happened that day it would have been during free time. Charlie was walking with Billy to the guys' dorms, not really trying to go there but just walking around. A couple of the new students were sitting on the steps. Charlie recognized Isaiah and Tanya, the twins, as well as Anna and a few other, more dark skinned people. They were talking about something, but smiled when they saw Billy and Charlie.

"What are you guys doin'? Billy asked. Charlie rested on the rail post.

"Just chillin'," said one of the kids. He defiantly had an African accent. Anna was staring kind of hard at Charlie and occasionally to Billy.

"I've got to ask," said Isaiah, "Are you albino?"

"Zeek!" cried Tanya slapping her brother.

"It's okay." Billy said coolly, "Yes I am."

"Ha!" Isaiah shot back at his sister. Suddenly there was a sinister laugh coming from the top step. It was Anna and she looked straight at Charlie.

"They don't like Miss Jezablah either." She reported to her friends. Charlie looked at her accusingly. "I don't have a choice," she explained, "It just comes to me. So I have to listen." Anna had a very monotonous voice. It was dark and throaty, and sort of slow.

"What else did you find out?" Charlie folded his arms.

"That you and your friends think she is in love with your uncle Paton and that you are in love with Milly Willy."

"Wow," Charlie said unimpressed. "You're spot on."

"I also know that you are very unhappy with me right now. But I didn't need your mind to figure that one. And about the first thing, you're right. I don't particularly like being around her when she's with the man. It get's…shall we say…uncomfortable."

"But why?" Uncle Paton is a married man." Billy said perplexed.

"All the more fun for Miss Jezebel. If she can get a married man to fall for her, than she feels more satisfied."

"That's disgusting," Charlie replied. "She's only like…twenty three!" Now everyone on the stairs started laughing. When Anna got control of herself, she said,

"Miss Jezebel is _not_ in her twenties. She's at least in her late forties."

And then the bell rang for dinner. Charlie didn't want to here more. He left before Anna could say anything else.

That night, over at the bookstore, Paton was at the counter, looking disgusting, with the phone at his ear and a pamphlet in front of him. Emma opened the store door and gave him a smile.

"Turn the sign around," he mouthed motioning for her to do so. She did, and slung her bag on the chair. She collapsed in another one.

"Ah, yes that's it…Delivery please. Yes…alright that's fine. Thank you." Mr. Yewbeam put the phone back in his pocket and took off his glasses. "I ordered some take out."

"Awesome!" Emma groaned greedily. "General Tso's Chicken right?"

"Of course, of course. How was your day?" Emma shrugged.

"I don't know how you did it. I mean school is hard enough, having to do it in a secluded dark room is beyond me." Emma said referring to how the Bloor's dealt with Mr. Yewbeam's endowment as a child.

"Ah, well. The Bloor's treated me as one of their own," he joked. Emma laughed.

"Well, I heard that the ruins are done being chipped at."

"Mm hmm. All the artifacts are at the Silk's residence. Emma, if you could excuse me I think I need to take a shower. If the take out guy comes, give him this."

Paton dug in his pocket and produced a wad of cash. He tossed it at Emma's face and went up the stairs. Emma giggled, grabbed a penny and threw it at Paton. It missed, but Mr. Yewbeam whipped around and gave the girl a gruff look. But he went up the stairs without leaving Emma heart broken.

Indeed the takeout guy did come and Emma paid him. She went to the kitchen and took the food from the bag. She got out forks and waited for Paton to come downstairs. He eventually did. He had put on some plaid shorts and a t shirt. They both sat down at the little table in the kitchen.

"Where's Jezebel?" Emma asked as she opened the chicken. Paton also grabbed a box and some chopsticks.

"Um, she told me that she was staying late today at the school so she could talk to her kids and tell them when they were leaving."

"Oh."Emma stared at Paton using his chopsticks as if it was second nature. He was digging around in his box when she asked,

"How do you do that?" Her uncle looked up confused.

"What? The chopsticks?"

"Well yeah. I mean, is it hard?"

"Absolutely not!" he said enthused. He grabbed another pair from the bag and opened the package. Paton snapped them apart and handed them to Emma. "So, with the first one, you tuck it in the crook of your thumb." Emma did as directed. Paton handed her the second. "Next, you hold the second one like a pencil and use your first finger to grab. Never move the chopstick in your thumb, only the other one. Emma tried to pick up a piece of chicken. This time was not satisfactory. "Here," Paton said and he reached for her hand. But then stopped himself. "Uhh," he said uncomfortably. And he swallowed hard. Paton brought his hands back to himself. "Emma can I touch your hand?" She smiled.

"We'll have to cross that bridge eventually." Paton was less eager.

But he put his hands back out and positioned the sticks in her hand. It took a few tries, but she eventually got it. And then they tried it with food. That was an entirely different story. However, Emma was not really thinking about the process. She was thinking about how Mr. Yewbeam had come into her aunt's life. And how at night, Emma would ask her how things were with Mr. Yewbeam and she would just smile and shake her head. And now look. Mr. Yewbeam was now Uncle P and he was showing her how to use chopsticks. And he dealt with her so gingerly. His fingers never pinched or were rough. They were delicate and loving. Although the two surely weren't on those terms yet.

"You got it!" he exclaimed after Emma popped some rice into her mouth.

"It's kinda' fun." She stated going for more food. There was a pause. "So how many bridges do you suppose we've gotten over?" Paton almost spit up his water, but he smiled when it went back down.

"That is a very odd question."

"Yeah I know but…still."

"Well you wouldn't call me your uncle for the first six months your aunt and I were married." Emma blushed.

"Right, and then I had to sit on your lap that one time."

"We were both probably equally uncomfortable then."

"I agree. Oh, and then we started having conversations and you laughed at something I said for the first time."

"You remember that?"

"Yeah, it was a very important day to me."

"Well since you remember that, I suppose I can recall a time when you said something sarcastic and I was completely caught off guard."

"Oh yeah! And then I started saying stuff about your face and Auntie got so upset." Paton gave another hearty laugh.

"Good times!" he said. And then the store door opened.

Jezebel walked in. She was slightly less dirty than Paton had been only two hours before. Emma's cell phone rang and she took it up stairs leaving Paton and the woman alone. Paton didn't say one word. Jezebel fiddled around for something in the store waiting for the awkward silence to end. When it didn't, she too went upstairs. Minutes later the shower turned on.

"Uncle P?" Emma called as she came down the steps. Paton said nothing. "Tancred's coming over at seven thirtyish, is that alright."

"As long as he doesn't stay," Paton replied gloomily.

"I heard that," Tancred's voice came from Emma's phone. Paton smiled and returned to doing the dishes.

"See you later Tanc," Emma said with a beaming smile.

"By Em'." And there was silence.

Seven thirty rolled around and Paton decided that now would be a great time to make himself scarce. He grabbed his glasses from his room upstairs and a book he'd taken from the pile that was headed to the Silk's. Then he disappeared behind the curtain right when Tancred himself walked in the door.

"How are you doing Mr. Yewbeam?" Tancred asked before Paton could escape. He poked his head back through the curtain.

"Just fine Tancred." Paton really didn't want to do this, but he had to look out for Emma even if it meant embarrassment. "And Tancred," Tancred had begun walking to the stairs, no doubt to go to Emma's room.

"Yes sir?"

"Don't."

"Don't what?" Tancred was very confused.

"Just…you know." Paton could feel his face growing redder and redder. Tancred thought, but still nothing. "Just…don't make me…have to separate you two."

"Ooohhh! No sir! You won't."

"Actually, you know what? Why don't you and Emma just stay down here tonight?"

"But-" the thunder boy was about to plead.

"Tancred!"

"Alright, alright." When Mr. Yewbeam heard the two pairs of feet coming back down the steps he vanished behind the counter and sat in a chair in the back room lit with candles.

By ten thirty Tancred was gone and Emma was asleep in her bed upstairs. Paton on the other hand was determined to get the rest of page ten translated. His eyes were half shut with sleep. He was now slouched down in his favorite reading chair. Paton had both legs propped up on the coffee table. His book stood in his lap. The short candles were even shorter now. He would need to ask Emma to buy some in the morning. He was almost done, but he was so very tired. Paton took a short break. He lay the decaying book down in his lap, took his glasses off and pinched the crease of his nose. _Just a little further,_ he told himself. And he picked the book up again. This next sentence was rather faded. He drew in closer trying to see if he could get any sense of it.

About half way through, as the man drug through each word, his book was torn form him. Shocked into stillness Paton followed it. It hit the ground and before him stood a beautiful woman. She was dressed in a very short, silk nightgown. Paton's mouth dropped open. He had no idea what to say much less _do_! His mouth was drier than a desert, so speaking was just not going to happen. Jezebel came at him. She grabbed his had in her hands and kissed his lips.

Paton had no idea what to do. For several seconds Paton could only feel Jezebel. He had gone numb! _Think!_ He told himself, _think! _What he thought about was Julia. His wife. HIS WIFE! What was Paton going to tell her when she got home!

Then Paton smiled in his head. He would make Julia proud.

He moved his hands first. Paton really didn't want to open his eyes again. So he felt for her legs up and up he slowly moved trying not to touch so much. He stopped when he got a hold of her ribs. Jezebel took this the wrong way. And then, with every ounce of adrenaline in his body, he pushed. And Jezebel went flying.

She hit the coffee table with a scream, breaking everything on it. Paton jumped up from his place. He was suddenly not tired. Paton grabbed some hair and pulled. Another shriek. _Emma will be up by now. _He bent down to her ear and whispered.

"You have thirty minutes to get out of my house!" And he threw her head back down on the table with a bang. Paton picked up the book that was taken from him and left the back room.

Just as he had imagined, Emma was standing in the store, a few feet from the counter. Mr. Yewbeam tried not to make eye contact.

"Is everything ok? Are you alright?" Emma was very frightened. She thought that perhaps there was an imposter. Her eyes were wide and her mouth shut into a hard line.

"Go back to sleep Emma." Paton said gruffly. He really didn't want to talk to the girl right now and he knew that Emma would understand. She looked like she was going to say something.

"Are you ever going to tell me what just happened?" Paton just stared at her with emotionless, dark eyes. "Yes sir," she moaned and went up stairs but not before Jezebel came out of the back room.

Emma's eyes got even wider. She covered her mouth with both hands and stared behind Paton.

"GET OUT!" Paton roared. Emma jumped. "And if you _ever_ talk to me or my wife again-" but Jezebel was flying up the stairs. Her head was covered by her hands. She looked helpless. Like a little beaten puppy.

"I don't want to know, I don't want to know." Emma said. And she went up the stairs.

"Emma," Paton beckoned. "Just don't tell every detail at school."


	15. The Pianist

The Pianist

The next day at school was a very good one. Most people were smiling that hadn't been for the earlier part of the week and it just seemed, happier. Charlie was inviting everyone to help him find the piano. He even asked Bethany if she wanted to come along. She wasn't going to until Olivia told her she would yank her out of bed and carry her down the stairs. And Emma, during free time, was making her rounds through the girls dorms telling them what had happened the night before at her house. Jaws were dropped and hysterical laughs were heard. The news eventually made it through the entire school that Jezebel and her students would soon be leaving. Bethany had said that she would miss Milly. And Charlie agreed wholeheartedly.

The Asa, Olivia, and Gabriel thing was moving on slowly. Most people were rooting for Gabriel. Although a few like Naren, Lysander and Tancred were hoping Asa would win this silent fight. Olivia, though, still did not know about Gabriel so things were basically going in favor of Asa.

By eleven o'clock that night, most of Charlie's friends were almost asleep. And the ones who did fall asleep were roughly woken up by the designated "waker-uppers". (Also known as Asa and Naren). The song started soon after. Its soft melodies made them want to go to sleep even more. But the song quickly picked up tempo. It sounded like something Beethoven would write. The way the song lost speed and then gained it back and rose and fell all over the scales.

Fidelio expressed to Charlie, when they were all in the hallway, that he would very much like to talk to whoever this pianist was. The songs mystified him every time he had the pleasure of hearing them.

It was storming tonight. Trees tapped the roof somewhere far away and rain beat on the long windows in the hall. Only by flashes of lightning could the group see who was there.

"Fido? Is Gabriel here?" Charlie whispered.

"Na'," Fidelio answered back equally hushed, "I think he must have gone to the bathroom or something." Charlie nodded but then realized Fidelio couldn't see him.

"Charlie?"

"Who called my name?"

"It's me Billy."

"Oh, what?"

"The mice will be here in a few seconds."

"K," Charlie whispered. And then he said louder, almost in a normal voice, "Did everyone hear that? The mice will be here soon."

Whispers and giggles and light conversation broke out between the group of kids. There was a flash of light. And then another, and another. Charlie saw that beside him, Bethany looked very scared and confused. Charlie put his arm over her shoulder and rubbed her arm. Bethany wrapped her arm around his back since she was much shorter than Charlie.

And then the pitter patter came. Charlie could visualize the horde of mice running at him in all directions right now. Their little tails twitching and their whiskers swaying. He then heard the mice conversation start between his brother and one of the little creatures. It was quick. The students heard the pitter patter recede, and then the animal whisperer spoke.

"There's some good news and some bad news." Billy reported somewhere off to Charlie's right. Charlie rolled his eyes. "The good news is that the piano is not on the west side of the school. That bad news is that they'll need more time to search the rest of the school."

"So we just got up for nothing?" Lysander demanded to know.

"No! We will figure this out tonight. I just don't know how." Another flash of lighting and the distant roll of thunder.

"But how Charlie. It doesn't make any sense!" cried Olivia.

"Doesn't your dad know where everything is in this place?" questioned Dagbert. Everyone fell silent. The song that was playing in the background was fast, deliberate, and choppy. Someone was running their fingers up and down a piano somewhere.

"Charlie?" Una asked quickly. He hadn't said anything for several moments.

"I'm thinking. And I'm thinking that's a yes."

"So what's the problem?" asked Tancred.

"Who wants to wake up my dad in the middle of the night?" He waited. "Seeing no hands, I guess that job is left up to me." Asa snarled.

"Someone's here again." Billy translated. Lightening lit the room long enough for Charlie to pan around. He saw no one. "It's the same person who was here the other night."

"A girl right?" Charlie said.

"Yep."

"Maybe it's Miss Hap."

"Wouldn't Miss Hap have said something by now?" Naren commented.

"Yeah, any teacher would have." Billy replied.

"So it's a student?"

"Most defiantly," a voice said that Charlie didn't recognize at first. Everyone was startled. The voice was not close, but farther away. There was another flash of lightning, Charlie looked around. There was no one. But suddenly, behind him, someone grasped his shoulder. He jumped and looked behind him even though he knew he couldn't see. _Flash._

"Milly! What are you doing here?" Sighs of relief swept though everyone. Charlie swung Bethany around, along with himself.

"Well I heard that you guys were going on some crazy adventure tonight and I wanted to join in. So I invited myself. What's better than spending one last Thursday night with my favorite people?"

"Well you're more than welcome. Right guys?" Everyone agreed. _Flash._

"Okay, back to your dad," said Fidelio. "Are you going to wake him up Charlie?"

"Hhh, Charlie sighed. "Yeah." He didn't turn around.

After much discussion, the group decided that they would hold each other's arms to ensure that no one would get lost. Charlie led the brigade onward. Milly followed him, and then Bethany, Olivia and so on. They left the creepy hall and found themselves in an even darker hall. And soon they had to start up the spiral stairs. Billy thought the school needed at least two elevators but the boys' father insisted that stairs were good for one's health.

In time, everyone made it to the landing that Charlie's parents' room was on, and they stopped in one glob. Only Charlie and Billy moved forward, approaching their parents' door. It was the forth door on the left, and Billy was the one who opened it. He let a crack of light shine on Lyell's face. He was turned towards them. Charlie poked his head in.

"Dad!" he whispered roughly, "Dad!" Lyell stirred and opened his eyes groggily. He rubbed them and blinked, staring at the boys.

"What are you doing?" he croaked. Sleep hazed his throat.

"We need your help," Billy whispered back. Lyell rolled over and reached for the light on the bed table. It turned on and the once dark room was brightly lit. Billy let the door go all the way open. Now Amy moved on her side of the bed, farthest away from Charlie and Billy.

"Honey what time is it? I feel like I just fell asleep." She covered her tired eyes with her hands.

"It's only…" Lyell looked at the huge clock that was in front of the bed. "Two thirty in the morning," he said dismally through gritted teeth. "This better be good," grunted Lyell and he swiped the covers off of him, turned the light out, and walked to the hall. He closed the door. When he saw the group of his students he stopped.

"We wanted their help." Charlie explained sheepishly.

"Two o'clock in the morning and all the endowed are at my doorstep."

"All except Gabe." Fidelio explained. Lyell nodded.

"What is it that you want?"

"Follow us," said Charlie."

Lyell was led from the hall and down the spiral stairs. When he heard the music, that was now almost angry sounding, he asked about it. The entire story was given to him.

"Well, where's the piano?" asked Charlie testily.

Lyell grabbed his son's wrists and started marching. He walked to the stairs of the boy's dorms, but went beside it. He found a small door and led everyone inside. Lyell flipped on a switch. There was a delay, but eventually lights began to turn on. One, then another, and another. All of the lights flickered to life, one on top of the other. They were all placed in the middle of the spiral stair case, which seemed like it went up forever.

"You guys are going to be sore in the morning." Lyell chuckled. And he began the ascent.

"There's a piano up there?" Olivia questioned.

"Oh yeah." Lyell replied. Everyone filed behind each other.

By about five minutes everyone was huffing and puffing and literally falling over each other. Only Asa scaled the stairs well. Billy wiped his brow.

"Elevators," Billy murmured.

"I heard that," Lyell called over his shoulder.

The song was now quite a bit louder now. It was fast. And whoever it was, was jumping all over the piano. Everyone was quiet. All they wanted to do was listen now. Charlie didn't know anyone who could play the piano that well, except… that would have to be a miracle. There _was _that one man, Charlie found on the coast. The man he thought was his father. _What was his name?_ Could it actually be him? How would he know how to get to the Academy? And why was he playing?

But finally, after fifteen minutes of dragging up the stairs, Lyell stopped the line of people on a small landing. It was so small in fact that a few people still had to stand on the stairs.

"Everybody know what this is?" Lyell asked the group. No one said anything. "This is where I played when I was hypnotized."

The song was defiantly louder now. It was obviously coming from behind the door. Charlie's heart raced. He was looking forward to seeing the man again, if it was the man.

Lyell opened the door. Everyone crowded in. The piano before them was huge. It was nearly as tall as the wall and sat in the very middle of the circular room. And someone was sitting on the bench. This someone was not who Charlie thought was his father. It wasn't even an older man. His fingers danced along the piano so nimbly and expertly.

"I taught that kid!" Lyell said happily. He smiled as if he was the best piano teacher in the world.

Gabriel Silk turned around in a jerk. His face dropped when he saw everyone.

"I-I," he was so shocked, and so scared; he didn't know what to say.

"Which song is that? I don't recognize it."

"It's the one we practiced on Friday's." Gabriel was beyond shock at this point. Not only were all his friends here, Olivia included, but also Lyell. And from what Gabe could tell, in a great mood.

"Was it the love song? I can't quite remember." Lyell walked up to Gabriel and looked at the music on the stand.

"Yes," Gabe said with a smile.

"That is so cheesy," Tancred remarked. Gabriel shot him a look and then glanced at Olivia. No damage had been done.

"Actually," replied Lyell it's a beautiful- wait this is what we did on Duel Friday's?"

"Yes."

"Well then what are we waiting for! I may be old but I can still beat you." Gabriel's shock slipped into great amazement and a huge smile spread across his face.

The group behind Lyell and Gabriel were in complete confusion. They whispered to each other trying to figure out what was going on. What were these two talking about? And only one remembered every answer.

"When dad was hypnotized," Charlie started, "He stayed here, everyday. He taught piano and Gabe was one of his students. And apparently, they dueled."

"It was more of me reminding him we had to duel and him whooping by butt every time." Gabe explained. Everyone turned their heads back to Gabe and the head school master. The bench was kicked away.

"No music," Gabe said. It wasn't even a question it sounded more like a requirement.

"And clef switches are allowed." Lyell said back.

"Let's duel."

And so the spectacle began. The two began slowly. Their fingers dancing fluently across the keys. The sound that was produced was beautiful. And they went on like that for quite a while. But no one minded. It was very fascinating. But then the song sped up. Gabe's fingers were in sync with Mr. Bone's as they poked, drug, and glided on the piano. By now Lyell was getting into it. He swayed with the music, jerking forward to dramatize a big note the power of the song. Again it sped up. By now both Lyell and Gabe were poking at the keys on each other's part of the piano, and the song was jumping all over the place. Lyell, once, growled at Gabriel. And Gabe just laughed and they kept playing as hard as each of them had ever before. Each of the men were beating down on the keys, while their arms mingled in and out of each others trying to reach the correct key.

"Switch, switch." Lyell commanded.

Gabriel stepped to the right, where Lyell had been. Meanwhile Lyell stepped back and moved to where Gabe had been. And they battled some more. Both Gabe and Charlie's father were trying desperately hard to make the other one slip up. But it didn't look like this was going to happen. And Charlie sensed this.

"Why don't we call it a draw?" he suggested. But they kept playing. A few seconds later, Gabriel began counting and playing at the same time.

"Five, six, five, six, seven, eight." And all together, they stopped. Lyell turned to his former student.

"Good job kid," he said tousling his hair.

"I was taught by the best." Gabe replied with a smile.


	16. It's a Date

It's a Date

"Well I thought that was beautiful Gabe," Olivia piped from the back of the room.

The next morning, Academy's endowed woke up groggily. Lyell laughed when he saw his sons in the main hall. Somewhere in the middle of the room, Uncle Paton was talking with Miss Hap. Charlie had found out a while ago that Julia enjoyed Miss Hap's company and often invited her to tea.

There was still buzz in the air about Jezebel leaving. Dirty looks and mysterious smiles were passed from the North Africans to Charlie and his friends. But nothing was thought of it. Even though all of this was going on, Milly stayed by her man. Only during lunch and study time did they separate. And everyone wanted to come to Charlie's dinner tonight.

So, all twenty some people sat at the huge table. The servers came out and presented the food, Gabe was in front of Olivia, Milly was chatting with Vivienne and Paton was talking to Emma. It seemed like they were having a good time so Charlie got Tancred's attention. He nodded his head toward his uncle and Emma. Tancred dropped his jaw and shrugged as if to say, "What is going on?" Charlie answered with the same shrug.

The mood around the table, the buzz in the air and the giddiness of everyone all meant one thing. It was Friday and no one was going to miss school. Even Charlie was excited for the weekend even though it meant Milly was leaving. Naturally, the main topic of the dinner table was what Paton had done to Jezebel. And Paton was not really up for discussion, though he did say he would do it all over again if needed. But he might go for more internal bleeding next time. Amy 'tsked' at him.

"Olivia, Asa, how is the play coming?" Lyell asked. The two beamed.

"Very well," chimed Olivia.

"We have to go costume shopping on Saturday." Asa said rather glumly. There were a few chuckles.

Later in the evening, before the dessert was presented in front of the students, Lyell stood up at the front of the table.

"Well since its Friday-" Lyell began. But was cut off by his son.

"Dad can you try to be less embarrassing," Charlie said with a chuckle.

"I'm _trying _to be nice," Lyell replied. "Anyway, I think we should all raise our glasses of fake bubbly juice to Milly. Milly started to giggle and hid her reddening face behind Charlie's shoulder.

"No I think you are just trying to be embarrassing." Charlie said again. He patted Milly's arm.

"Actually," Amy piped, "I agree with your father. Milly, you are a lovely young girl stuck in the shadow of an evil woman. You seem honestly different than the others. You do your own thing. And we love that about you honey."

"You should go to school here dear. You'd fit right in." Lyell remarked.

"Yeah, I should ask my parents about moving from Africa to England just because my father's sister is evil."

"She's your aunt?" Emma exclaimed.

"Yes, unfortunately." Milly said with a smile.

Suddenly there was a rapping at the door. Paton leaped up and opened it some. Charlie could see one of the archeologists from the college standing in the hall. Uncle Paton towered over him. They conversed in hushed tones. Paton closed the door, and when he returned to his seat, his face was white and blank. He scooted his chair up, but didn't say anything for a long time.

"The students found a chest of gold. They figure the value is over seventy-five thousand pounds." Gasps rippled down the table. And a silence that seemed the complete opposite of the atmosphere just a few moments ago. Everyone held their breath slightly.

"Jezebel is never going to let you have any of that." Milly stated.

"Yeah I know," Lyell replied. I think we need to call the thunder house."

Tancred smiled. He knew what his dad would be doing tonight.

And so, that night, when the Bone family got home, Lyell rang the Torrsens. They talked for about fifteen minutes. And then Lyell hung up the phone. He came into the kitchen where Charlie was waiting for him. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Even though there was not yet rain.

"Mr. Torrsen has graciously agreed to guard Jezebel's room at the hotel downtown. He was a little too enthusiastic." Charlie smiled. He could see a few of those violent characteristics in Tancred.

And now came the rain. It started quietly but then got louder. Until it was beating down on the roof. The sky was pitch black. Cracks of thunder and flashes of lightening lit the sky. Some of them made Charlie jump. He couldn't be sure if this was the work of an endowment or from nature, but he knew he was not going to go to sleep tonight.

It was nearly past midnight, and Charlie was rolling, sitting up, and laying awake in his bed. He watched the clock tick the minutes by. He stared at Claerwen, gleaming just as brightly as if she were awake. Charlie actually hadn't ever seen Claerwen sleep, so that slightly brightened his restlessness.

Outside, the cracks of thunder and bold flashes of lightning frustrated Charlie. He was used to not being able to go to sleep. But those nights were always when his aunts and grandmother were plotting downstairs, or when he was worried about something happening at school. Right now though, none of those things applied. It was just him and his drooping eyelids, and the earsplitting thunder that shook the house.

About an hour later, as Charlie was just getting comfy, someone crept out of their room. They tip-toed down the hall and quietly opened up a door. Charlie lay, sleeping in his bed. Or so it seemed to the imposter. The person shuffled to the side of the room Charlie was facing. They got close to his face, checking to see if his eyes were closed. They were. The person then went to lift the covers, but Charlie's eyes snapped open.

Vivienne was startled but didn't miss a beat.

"Charwee I'm scared," she said. Her face was beginning to crumple, like she would cry. Charlie flipped the blanket up and scooted over. Vivienne smiled, hugged her bunny to her chest and slipped in with her brother. _Just as long she goes to sleep,_ Charlie told himself.

"Charwee," she began. And he would have protested but for some reason, he wanted to hear what else she would say. "I weally to like you. I think I might even love you. You're so big and tall. I hope I'm as tall as you when I get big. And all of your fwends are gweat. And somehow you're special. But I know I'm not allowed to know about that until I'm nine. Not everyone can say they're bwother is that cool. I just wanted you to know. There's no one else like my bwother Charwee." And that was all she said.

The next morning, when Charlie awoke, Vivienne was gone. She was no doubt watching her Saturday morning TV shows. So Charlie got up and walked downstairs.

Through the window on the door, Charlie could see what last night's storm had done outside. Small debris was scattered across the yard and street, one limb was hanging down in the road. Charlie walked into the kitchen.

"Beautiful morning isn't it?" Lyell said with a smile.

"Mmm, hmm." Charlie agreed. He was looking in the fridge for something to eat. He grabbed some fruit and sat across from his dad. Lyell was reading the paper, his usual morning look. Nothing was said until Charlie had the last strawberry in his mouth.

"Sooo," stressed Lyell, "You and Milly huh?"

Charlie didn't want to do this now. But, better get it over with sooner or later. At least that's what Charlie thought.

"Umm, yeah…maybe…a little."

"But she's leaving," Lyell was also trying to keep it short and sweet.

"Yeah."

"Well have you seen each other outside of school yet?"

"Well no…but when am I sup-"

"Charlie, how stupid do you think I am? I will have you know I can score with the ladies. I mean, your mom was…" Lyell just nodded.

"Oh, I'll never forget. You and mom…Miss Tilpin." Lyell glowered over his newspaper at Charlie.

"What?" Lyell said throatily.

"Let's just say, me and Billy crashed a hundred heads ball one time. And some very interesting things were said."

"Well Amy knows about it, but…goodness." Lyell said quickly. "You keep surprising me. Every time I think I know all that I missed you just come down the stairs guns blazing." Lyell shrunk back behind his paper. "Anyway I think you should ask Milly over."

"_Here_?"

"Yeah."

"Umm, okay."

Around twelve o'clock, Charlie went to get Milly from the Academy. He walked up the stone stairs and knocked on the glass door. Someone was always at the school on Saturday, either to clean or to serve detention duty. But today, Mrs. Hulligan was in the hall along with several other drama kids. Olivia, Asa, Naren, and Bethany included. They rushed to open the door.

"What are you doing here Charlie?" Asa asked. Charlie panicked. He really didn't want the guys knowing he had certain feelings toward Milly.

"Well, um…I…think I forgot…" Charlie was staring right at Olivia, hoping she would catch his drift.

"Uhh, Asa could you go find me the blue apron, Sarah's by the dresses and I don't want her getting it." Asa rushed at the chance to help out. He was instantly over by the box having a heated conversation with whoever Sarah was. "What can I do for you Charlie?" Olivia gave a beaming smile.

" 'Liv, what would I do without you?"

"It's too scary to think about," she said sarcastically.

"Is Milly here?"

"Oh, yeah she was helping us try on costumes."

"Can you get her for me?" Olivia smiled her superstar smile again.

"Sure Charlie." Olivia left the door and was lost in the sea of students in the hall. But in a few minutes, she could be seen tugging Milly through the crowd. Charlie smiled when he saw her. And she smiled back.

"Have fun," Olivia sang, and she went to assist Asa with the apron.

"Yes?" Milly asked. She folded her arms.

"Do you want to come over to my house?" Charlie was shaking inside. He had never done anything like this before. Of all the things he had done though, this was at the top of the scary list.

"Right now?" Milly grabbed the back of her neck. Today she sported a t shirt and underneath it, was a white long sleeve shirt with thumb holes.

"Umm, yeah."

"Sure!" Milly stepped outside. "Big crazy costumes aren't really my thing."

Charlie looked her up and down and scoffed referring to the 'big crazy costumes. Milly hit him in the stomach. They walked down the staircase and through the fountains. The couple danced their way around the leaves and puddles last night's storm had dropped on the road, and ended up in front of the bookstore.

"Ingl-le-dew," Milly tried to sound out the store name.

"Ingledew," Charlie corrected her. "Emma, Aunt Julia and Uncle Paton live above the store."

"That's cool." Milly remarked, and Charlie let himself in.

At the counter stood Mr. Yewbeam. He was leaning on his elbow showing a customer a very old book. Paton glanced up, gave Charlie and Milly and icy look. The two men looked like they were in deep debate so Charlie slipped past them and found Emma in the kitchen. She was drawing something.

"Hi Emma," Charlie said quietly. She smiled back and to Milly.

"What brings you to my humble abode?"

"I wanted to ask how things went with Jezebel and Mr. Torrsen." Emma laughed softly.

"Well the entire storm was not due to nature. At least that's what Tancred said." And then, from the living room came, "These are ridiculous prices!" And then the bell on the door rattled violently. Uncle Paton appeared in the kitchen doorway.

"A ridiculous man rather."

"What did he want to pay?" Emma asked.

"One hundred pounds!" Paton was obviously very perplexed, "That book is at least worth three times more."

"No way!" Emma exclaimed. She shook her head.

"Oh, by the way Emma, Julia said her mother wants her to stay longer, so she won't be back until at least Tuesday." Emma frowned at the news but started shading something anyhow.

"Well I guess Milly and I should go," Charlie said. "I just wanted to know about Mr. Torrsen."

"Oh, yep. Bye you two," Emma said looking up from her canvas.

Mr. Yewbeam let the two through the door and gave Charlie a skeptic look. Then he did the same to Emma.

"Don't ask me." Emma replied. Paton laughed and shook his head. The bells chimed in the front room.

At Diamond Corner, Maisie was cooking up a storm, just like she did every Saturday.

"What is _that_?" Milly said in awe as she sniffed the air.

"Well, there's always some kind of soup, turkey, fish, baking bread, green beans, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy, salad, noodles and dessert. Also known as Grandma Maisie."

"I think I'm in love with your grandma."

Charlie told Milly to take off her shoes and just as she was untying them, a round woman in a faded, ghastly looking apron, came into the foyer. She had one hand on her hip, a wooden spoon in the other and a huge smile on her face.

"Well someone pinch me. Charlie Bone where did you go to get this fine young woman. It looks like you went straight up to heaven and stole her from God himself." Milly blushed. "Lunch will be ready in ten…fifteen." Maisie went back to the kitchen.

"That usually means half an hour," Charlie whispered to Milly. She smiled.

Charlie led Milly into the room just to the right of the stairs. It was the brightly lit, big, sitting room with all the chairs and couches facing the large fireplace.

"This is beautiful," Milly gasped. Charlie sat down on a couch and patted the place beside him. Milly obliged.

"So do you have any brothers or sisters?" Milly nodded.

"Yep, there's a baby sister on the way back home. So, you really need to explain this whole Yewbeam family thing to me. How are you a Bone? You all look alike."

Charlie explained what he could. He started with his Uncle's seventh birthday, when the Yewbeam's went to Yewbeam Castle. He told Milly how there was always bad blood between the Yewbeams and anyone they couldn't control. He then explained how Grandma Bone had killed her husband just after Lyell was born and how when he got older, he revolted and acquainted himself with Uncle Paton. Milly was drawing the family tree in her mind. Charlie then recalled the many fights at number nine and how his father was hidden from him since he was very young. He told of Julia and Paton's budding romance and the eventual engagement and marriage. He then had to go back and explain how Emma got into the picture. He ended with the Bloors leaving after extensive fighting. Milly covered her face.

"That's crazy Charlie!" she sighed.

"Yeah, and if you could stay longer, I would tell you everything else. The year Dagbert came to school, I'd tell you about Manfred and that whole family deal, and about Skarpo and Lord Harken."

"I wish I could, really, but…my parents…"

Maisie called from the kitchen that lunch was ready. Charlie pulled Milly up from the couch and led her to the table. He pulled out her chair, said please and thank you, and did all the things that he knew were proper gentleman things. The thought that Milly was going to leave struck his heart. At first, he just thought of her as another Matilda. But she was more. Milly, was tangible, beautiful, tender, caring, funny and smart. And just like Matilda, she was leaving him.

After about six Charlie and Milly were lounging upstairs on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Claerwen had not taken the new person lightly. She guarded Charlie with her life and stayed on his shirt. He slipped his hand under hers.

"Charlie!" she warned and put his hand on her more covered wrist.

"What?" he said.

"How many times do I have to tell you that if you touch my skin…bad things will happen to you!" Milly was in a huff.

"Actually you never have." Charlie countered. Milly sat up on the bed.

"Well, you need to remember more often. Sometimes gloves are just too hot." Milly grumbled.

"Why won't you just tell me what your endowment is?" Charlie insisted.

"Because it hurts, and it's weird and I don't like doing it…" she rushed. Her voice was on the edge of hysteria.

"Emma refuses to let up watch her change into a bird. But she's not ashamed of it."

"Well…then…Emma probably had more self esteem than I do."

"I think you're pretty hot," Charlie blurted.

"Oh, shut up!" Milly grabbed a pillow and slapped Charlie in the face with it. He fell back on the bed and rubbed his cheek. "I think I should get out of here," Milly said with a huff.

"What? Why?" Charlie cried. "Are you breaking up with me?" Charlie was desperately trying to lighten the mood back up. He also realized he was being very forthcoming with things and that, if he was, this dating thing was very easy to talk about. If there was anything he's learned from movies, it was that you never let a girl leave when she's mad at you.

"Charlie we're not even dating," Milly resisted rolling her eyes.

"Again I ask, why." Charlie said poetically. He flashed a humored smile. Milly got up from the bed.

"Because…okay, I really don't know _why _but…"

"I think we should." He urged. The humored smile never left his face.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. Will you go out with me?" Milly groaned.

"Fine," she snapped and ran down the stairs.

Charlie scrambled out of his bed and raced to the window. The downstairs door opened and closed. Milly appeared below. She skipped down the steps. _Bingo,_ Charlie thought. She was smiling. Maybe Charlie's dad did know a thing or two about girls.


	17. A Monday to Top All Mondays

A Monday to Top all Mondays

The next Monday, was an amazing Monday. All Charlie did was smile. He smiled at Lysander, he smiled at Miss Hap. He even smiled in History even though he had no idea he was smiling. Mr. Mulick, the history teacher even said to him.

"Bone if you don't wipe that sissy smile off your face I'm going to give you a detention."

That was the first time Charlie was aware that he smiled during class. But the rest of the day went smoothly. The majority of Jezebel's school gave Charlie and his friends the same awful looks of homicide they had on Thursday and Friday, but just like those other days, they paid no heed. In fact, Una suggested they smile at the looks and say 'how are you doing'. This was done and scowled at.

That night, at dinner, Charlie decided to go to the cafeteria for his meal. Gabe and Fidelio made room and they ate in silence for a while. Billy wanted to call it a day sine he wasn't feeling too well so it was just the three. They made small talk, asking where Billy was and whispering about the other students. In time, everyone was done eating and waiting for the bell.

"So Gabe, how's Olivia." Gabe looked on dumbly.

"Well she's eating right now and later she will be sleeping." He said simply.

"Gabriel where is this coming from?"

"It's the pants," Gabe shot back. Trying to keep from smiling.

"Dude!" exclaimed Fidelio.

"Come off it Silk!" said Charlie.

"Alright, alright. She said that she and Asa weren't dating anymore. That's it."

"Score one for the good guy!" Fidelio said; he gave a high five to Gabriel. The bell rang after a couple moments of silence. The boys said goodnight to each other. At least, the way guys say goodnight. Little did they know that that would not be the case.

Late at night, when everyone was asleep a woman with fiery red hair entered the school. She had on her long trench coat, the hood was over her head and her steps were deliberate and unwavering. She bounced a few steps into the main hall. The young man beside her, who teleported her inside the otherwise locked door, smiled. She smiled back.

This night was calm and clear. The moon shone in the hall brilliantly, and danced on the chandelier way above the two. It was dark, very dark, darker than even some of the days Charlie Bone remembered living at Bloors. Tonight was one of those nights that small children fear. Fog sat on the ground outside never moving unless by someone or something. Clouds glided past the moon like blankets falling from a waking person. But tonight, no one would be waking…no one.

From the shadows before Jezebel came her students. Every one of them. The powerful Anna; the twins; and Milly even crept along. Tears streamed her face for she knew what would take place. And she couldn't stop it. Anna read Milly's thoughts.

"Jameson! Take Milly first." She demanded.

"No!" Milly protested, but he and Milly were gone in seconds. When he returned Jezebel looked at the twins who were both looked very nice for how late it was.

"Go ahead," she nodded. Everyone shrank back in the shadows. Jameson started teleporting again and the twins began to sing.

Their song was sad. And usually this song jerked tears depending on the audience, but tonight, it was too true. Isaiah and Tanya were singing a more low, dreadful version of Oh, Danny Boy. At first they just stood in the center of the hall. Their mouths opening and closing like opera singers, and that is what their song sounded like. Opera. Beautiful, slow,…tiring…. ….opera.

Charlie woke with a start. Someone one was singing. It was loud, but wonderful. Had it not been the scariest thing Charlie had ever heard in the middle of the night, he would have stayed in his bed. But he jumped out.

This was not like the piano. The piano was soothing and pretty. Whoever was singing made it sound like wind was howling through the school. It echoed dreadfully off the wall, it went to a low melancholy place and then surged up high on the scales.

Suddenly, Charlie was having trouble moving forward. The air was thick with something, but Charlie couldn't place it. All he wanted to do was fall to the ground and sleep. What was happening? Before he knew it, Charlie's legs buckled below him, and he was on the floor. His lungs stopped working on an inhale and his heart ceased to pump the blood through his veins. On all accounts, the youngest of the Bone/Yewbeam generation, was dead.

Meanwhile, Isaiah and Tanya were going to town. They were projecting their voice in random parts of the school. So much so that rats were falling limp on the groung. The twins started walking. Tanya didn't look at Isaiah, she just started walking to the girls dorms in amazing unison. The two swept up the stairs and went down the halls, slowly. They were taking their time, afraid of nothing. Because _nothing_ could touch them.

And in the rooms, people were just…stopping. They stopped turning; they stopped rolling; they stopped breathing. It was as if the girls just thought they should stop. And they did. It was a horrible to watch the rooms, one by one, just cease to live.

The same thing happened in the boys' dorms. If they were sleep walking, the boys fell. If they were crying from homesickness, they stopped. Their tears drying on their reddened cheeks. There was no noise, no crying out for help, no suffering. Just death, as it seemed.

Finally the two's mini holocausts came to an end and they came downstairs. Everyone was gone. Only Jezebel and Jameson remained.

"Don't forget the gold," the teacher whispered. And she was gone. Leaving Jameson and the twins when he came back.

But there was someone who was not touched by this plague. She courageously had emerged from her room and saw the four people who now stood at the bottom of the stairs leading to the girls' lifeless dorm. She knew it was the twins, Jezebel and someone else. She shrunk back behind the railing. Soon, there was a _puff puh_. Jezebel was now gone. The same thing happened again. This time, Jameson had left the twins. She had to do something. She looked around. Mr. Bone liked to keep the school looking beautiful so there was artwork and pottery every where. She looked around and grabbed a vase. She kicked the table over. It made a vibration on the floor. _Good, it had made a sound._ The girl watched one of the twins opening and closing her mouth. _What was she doing?_ Tanya came up the stairs. Scanning for the person who had not fallen asleep. Tanya walked right past the girl's hiding spot. And quietly, she came out from the shadows, raised the vase and bashed Tanya in the head. Then she ran, to the attics.

In ten minutes, everything that reminded the Bone's pupils that another school's endowed was here, was now gone. There were no finger prints on the people who were not breathing, no blood, no carnage. It was the perfect crime scene, but also the worst. Over five hundred people lay upstairs, unmoving, and not breathing.

In the morning, Emma Tolley was walking to school. It was Tuesday and the sun was trying to burn away the clouds. It was slowly winning. Nonetheless, Emma could feel that something was wrong. It was too quiet. Normally, there were some kids outside, teachers getting one last smoke in before school. But today nothing. A miserable piece of trash floated along the cobblestone.

Now Emma stood in front of the school. She could see that inside, nothing was happening. Her heart quickened it's pace. Emma cautiously walked up the steps. She grabbed the door and yanked. It was locked. Something was indeed wrong. What was happening? Why was it happening? Emma banged on the door, and jerked it, rattling the lock. She became panicked and frantic all at once. A sick feeling erupted in her abdomen. Emma dropped her bag. She found a good size rock near the fountains and brought it back up the steps. She rocked it back and forth.

"One…two…three," she hurled the small boulder through the glass. There was a shattering noise, and a small hole was made. Emma kicked in enough of the glass to safely get through.

Inside, the hall was silent. _This should not be happening_, Emma insisted over and over again. She told herself several times that it was Tuesday. And then the emotion kicked in. Emma's eyes welled with tears. She thought of Olivia, Naren, Una and Bethany, and started sprinting up the stairs. She busted through the doors and was met with a horrific sight.

Everyone, was sleeping. But it was worse than sleep, more still. They looked like they were dead. Now hysterical sobs slipped through Emma's mouth. _Who would do this?_ She asked herself. But she still hadn't found Olivia. She saw Naren, her face buried in the pillow. Bethany though, was nowhere. _Olivia should be in this room,_ Emma told herself. This just made the crying worse.

Next, she checked the bathroom. A stall was closed and coming from one of the bathing rooms, water. Lots of it. Emma prayed that it was not her friend. But who else would it be? Emma had to kick down the door which took quite a bit of energy since she had been crying. And there, in the overflowing bathtub, was brown hair flowing out of the suds.

Emma screamed in agony. _Why?_ She couldn't bear to look at Olivia's body, just floating there. She needed to get help, and the most helpful person she knew was her uncle.

Emma sprinted from the bathroom, down the stairs to the hall, and out the door scratching her face on the way out. And she ran across the road, stopping angry drivers who slammed on their brakes. But she didn't care. In less time than believable, Emma was crashing through the store door. Paton was reading a book. The first thing he heard was Emma's insanity.

She was panting; Paton thought she was having a heart attack the way she was going on. Emma could not catch her breath and Paton had no idea what to do to help. He just sat there, waiting.

"Emma what happened?" he asked when she was slightly controlled.

"They're dead!" she screamed at him. "She's dead, they're all dead!" Emma was now shaking with emotion.

"What are you talking about, tell me!"

"WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE ME?" she shrieked at the top of her lungs. "Do something!" Emma's torrents of tears were wetting her shirt. Paton got up and sprinted to the street. He turned and made his way to the school. Emma was hot on his heels.

Paton saw the hole Emma had made, and made it bigger with one thrust of his leg. He wiggled inside.

"Show me," he told Emma who was beside him. Emma ran up the stairs and opened every door. She turned around and waved her hand.

"Look," she said holding back another sob.

Paton went in front of the door. His face dropped when he saw the twelve motionless girls. He acted like he had just seen a ghost. Mr. Yewbeam slowly turned to Emma. At first, he just stared. Emma didn't even try to keep the tears away. When Paton talked, nothing came but an inaudible whisper. But he said it again.

"They're all like this." It wasn't a question, but Emma nodded anyway.

"I found Olivia….in the bathtub. Everyone…is…"

Paton shook his head. Slowly, his face grew redder and redder. His eyes were glossy. Emma didn't want to see this, so she turned her back. And Paton hadn't done this since he was a boy. Small tears trickled down his face. At first they were singular, but they quickly turned into streams as he thought of what had happened to Lyell, Amy, Charlie, Billy and little Vivienne.

Mr. Yewbeam found a wall, and he slid down to the ground. His knees drawn up to his chin. He pulled his fedora over his eyes and wept, with deep hearty sobs.

Moments later, Emma was just walking around, like she was in a trance. She wished she was dead, for this felt much like being hypnotized. And then she smelled something awful, like rotting flesh and perhaps blood. When she turned the corner she saw it. At first, she didn't really know what to do. She just stood there staring at the corpse of Tanya lying in her own blood. She was ready to call her uncle's name, but she heard someone crying, a girl.

Emma looked around, and for the first time her brain really got a sense of what had occurred. Someone had come and murdered an entire school, but here, on the ground was the only person who actually smelled like they were dead. But she didn't want to hope just yet. She needed to find the girl.

"Hello?" Emma called. Her voice sounded funny. It shook and her nose was plugged. "Hello?" she called again. Nothing.

Emma tried to follow the sound. She walked forward, stepping over the body and trying not to look at it. She kept calling out, but no one replied. Maybe it was just her imagination. But then, huddled in between two columns, was a girl.

"

Bethany!" Emma gasped, cupping her hands over her mouth like Julia always did.

Bethany on the other hand was not happy. She was crying, her hair was in her face and blood was drying on her hands. Emma extended her hands and stepped toward the terrified girl. Bethany got up, but held her hands at her waist. The bathroom was very near, so Emma decided to take Bethany there and clean her up.

She lent her a hair tie and helped her clean up her hands. Bethany stayed silent the entire time. Which wasn't really weird, it just didn't really help the situation. However, when Emma was ready to leave and almost out the door, Bethany was doing something rather odd. She squeezed some soap on her hand and smeared it on the mirror. She did this three times.

"Bethany what are you doing?" Emma asked in vain. And then Bethany started writing in the soapy mess with her finger. "I killed her," it said. And Bethany started crying again. Emma ran over to rub her back and wrote in the soap as well.

"What happened?"

Now Bethany filled both hands with soap and smeared it all over the huge mirror over the six sinks in the girl's bathroom. Emma helped her get the spots she missed and soon every square inch was covered in soap. Bethany took a deep breath and started writing.

"They were all here Jameson

The twins and Jezebel. It was

Almost midnight. Jameson

Left and the twins had murdered

Everyone. So I made Tanya

Follow me up here and a smashed

A vase over her head. I didn't mean to

Kill her." Bethany wrote quickly.

"I think what you did

Was very brave," Emma replied. Bethany smiled. Then Emma went on.

"My uncle is here, I think

We should show him Tanya." Bethany nodded.

The girls left the bathroom without erasing the conversation. They stepped over the body and found their way back to Uncle Paton. He was still sitting on the ground.

"Uncle Paton?" Emma said softly. Mr. Yewbeam lifted his fedora. His gleaming eyes widened when he saw Bethany. "She saw what happened."

"And what was that?" Paton asked slowly.

"She said that Isaiah and Tanya did all of this. They went to each room and killed all the students. And she killed Tanya."

Paton was obviously blown away by this. Emma gave him a few minutes to think before she said the next thing.

"But Uncle P," Emma said almost worriedly. "The only dead person who smells like they're dead is Tanya. Shouldn't the rooms smell bad?"

"Yes," he whispered. And then Paton Yewbeam became himself again. "Emma, go into every room, check three people's vital signs. See if they are breathing and check the pulse."

Emma obeyed. She grabbed Bethany's hand and they went into the first room. Paton chose another. Emma went to the closest bed and bent down to the mouth. But there was nothing. They weren't breathing. Emma's heart dropped and she reluctantly picked up the person's arm feeling for the pulse. Some more tears dripped over her cheeks. And then she felt the pulse. Emma realized something then. First, nothing smelled. Second, this person was warm. Very warm in fact. She moved on to the next. Bethany figured out what was going on and she did the same with a girl on the other side of the room.

"Alive!" Bethany spoke. Obviously her voice was rather warped, but she said it anyhow. Emma nodded with a smile. Bethany looked relieved and now had some color in her face.

"Uncle P!" Emma yelled as she ran out of the room. She was about to run into the room he was in when Paton opened the door. She ran into him. Paton grabbed her and pulled her back to look at her. He was smiling. "They're alive!" she said gleefully.

"I know, I know. But how?" Emma thought, and behind her, Bethany appeared.

"Magic?" she wondered out loud.

"Perhaps, but then we need something magical to undo this catastrophe."

"Claerwen! Oh, but Charlie's…"

"Yes, yes. But Claerwen must know what's happened. Maybe I can convince her to help us." Paton thought.

Eventually, the three were making their way to the west side of The Academy. They walked up the three flights of stairs to Charlie's room and opened the door. But the door only went forward a few inches before it hit something. Paton pushed harder, and harder until he could fit through. Mr. Yewbeam was the first to go in.

"Oops," he said. After Emma squeezed in after Bethany, she saw why her uncle had reacted that way.

Charlie was the reason the door would not open. He was now in an uncomfortable looking position on the floor. And then Claerwen started flying around Paton, nicking his face and arms.

"Ahh! Mae'n ddrwg gennym!" Paton insisted. "Claerwen, mae'n rhaid I chi ein helpu ni. Mae, sillafu wedi I body n bwrw dros eich meistr a gweddill yr ysgol. A dim ond gallwch ei ddadwneud."

Claerwen settled down. She went down to Charlie and rested on his shoulder. Like she was waiting.

"Os gwelwch yndda, dadwneud hyn a wnaethpwyd." Paton watched the moth. Emma stared at Paton in awe. _That was amazing,_ she thought to herself.

After a few seconds, Emma dropped her eyes to Charlie. Claerwen was flying around, resting on different points. She did this several times before stopping on his leg.

"Well that didn't work," Paton stated glumly. He bent down and put his ear to Charlie's mouth. When he smiled, Emma knew there was good news. Emma bent down too.

"Charlie," she said, "Get up Charlie."

Paton shook the boy on the ground. Charlie frowned but didn't wake.

"Mmm," Charlie moaned. Paton and Emma smiled to each other.

"Charlie get up!" Paton yelled.

"Why?" Charlie wined again. He rolled out of his weird position on the floor.

"Charlie something very bad has happened," Emma whispered. That got his attention. He immediately got up.

"Whoa! Why didn't anyone get me up? Dad's gonna' kill me."

"Lyell isn't…awake." Paton replied. He tried to explain what he knew and Emma put in a few words. After a dramatic pause Charlie replied.

"That's crazy." He looked around. "Claerwen! We've got to help some people."

Now the four of them went back down the three flights of stairs and went up the girls steps. Charlie stopped and said something in Welsh. Everyone waited, for something extravagant to happen. And first nothing did happen. Charlie shrugged. But just when he turned to go back down the stairs, a girl could be heard.

"Oh, my gosh! Everyone get up! We are so late!" And then the sound of other girls getting up. Screaming and complete pandemonium started.

The screaming got even louder. And then, on the other side of the school, doors were slamming and shouts were being ordered. And somewhere, drums were beating. Lysander was nervous.

"Should we tell them?" Emma asked, almost rhetorically.

"Nah," replied Charlie.


	18. The Other Drowning

The Other Drowning

About half an hour later, the whole school was in the main hall whispering to each other about what had happened. Miss Hap didn't mind. She just made sure no one was shouting. Dabbing her the gashes on her arms with a wash cloth. Charlie was with his friends in a small circle on the outskirts of everything. Emma went into great detail about what had happened.

"Where _is_ Olivia," Gabriel mentioned. Everyone looked around.

"Is she still getting dressed?" wondered Emma.

"She's not still in the bathroom is she?" Charlie said. No one said anything, they just stared at each other.

"Goodness I hope not," Emma said meekly. She started making her way through the groupings of people. The girls followed her.

Emma walked up the stairs and turned down the hall to where the bathroom was. She opened the swinging door. Bethany, Naren and Una were on her heels. The water was still on the floor. That wasn't too unusual. They walked on, past the bathroom stalls and into the bathing room with it's own separate bath stalls. The door that Olivia had been behind was sitting slightly ajar. Emma tapped it. And it swung open.

The water was still, barely keeping inside the bath tub. And in it was Olivia. Her hair sprawled out around her dramatically. Gasps sounded from the girls around Emma. Una and Bethany turned around. Only Naren wrapped her arm around the blond reassuringly.

"Olivia?" Emma called. Her voice was barely a squeak. She shrugged Naren off and went up to her friend. She grabbed her arms and pulled. Olivia slid out of the tub and onto the ground. When Emma saw her best friend's face she lost it. Olivia's eye lids were dark. Her lips and skin had little color.

"Help," Emma whispered, "Help!" she stepped away as tears started up again. Naren stayed by the limp Olivia.

"Una, find a phone and call 911, take Emma with you." The girls left. Naren began CPR trying to revive the girl. Someone had drowned once before, very near and dear to Emma. This couldn't happen again. Not again.

Several minutes later, Emma and Una came back. Now everyone was knelt over the girl. Bethany had put a towel over her.

"She's dead, she's dead." Emma said, over and over again. She cradled Olivia's hand and arm.

"NO!" Naren snapped back, "See." She tilted Emma's head so she would. "There's more color in her lips and cheeks." Emma nodded and wiped tears from her eyes.

In the hall, Emma heard the boys talking and trying to look in. And then, behind them, the paramedics came rushing. One had a case and two had a stretcher.

"Ladies what happened?" Everyone looked around at each other. Only Emma stared straight ahead. She couldn't hear what was going on. The only thing she could make was muddled sounds. Everything was moving so slowly. Before she knew it, someone was pushing her out of the way. She turned. It was Naren. She looked like she was saying something, but…what was it?

Next, Emma found herself in the hall. Tancred had an arm around her waist. Everyone looked very solemn. Charlie was fighting back tears. _That's sweet, _thought Emma. And then she saw the stretcher come out. One man was on top of the bed, giving Olivia compressions. Another person was squeezing something near her mouth. It sort of looked like a balloon.

"Tancred," Emma said quietly.

"What is it babe?" Tancred got close to her face and kissed her cheek. Emma was seeing Tancred. First she would see Olivia. Her hair would be falling over the bed. And then it would flash to Tancred. His pale face turned to one side.

"Tancred," she said again, and hugged him turning her face from Olivia.

Many hours later, after Lyell had cancelled classes and told everyone to go home, Emma and Paton were at the hospital. They were in the waiting room. Olivia was still in critical condition and she couldn't have any visitors until her status lowered. The Vertigo's were there holding each other's hand. Emma was sitting on the couch opposite them. Paton had gone to get something to drink.

"Emma, how are you doing?" asked Mrs. Vertigo.

Emma was surprised to hear someone say her name. She hadn't really been listening to people since she got here. She refused to listen to the doctors, she barely heard her other friends tell her everything would be fine, and Paton didn't want to talk to her right now.

"Umm, I wish my aunt were here." She said. "She's good at this type of thing." Both Mr. and Mrs. Vertigo nodded.

Abruptly, Mr. Yewbeam came around the corner. He had on sunglasses and his fedora and was reading a book. In his other hand, he was holding a bottle of water. He wended his way around the chairs and couches and situated himself beside Emma. After he handed Emma the water, he took off the glasses and set the book down.

"You doing okay?" he asked darkly. Emma nodded. Mr. Vertigo looked at his watch.

"It's nearly nine. Don't you think it's time to call it a day?"

"My decision is Emma's." Paton said.

"Just a little longer," Emma replied after a pause.

A little longer quickly turned to an hour. And an hour turned into two hours. Emma's eyes were falling shut, and Paton was slumped back, his fedora pulled over his eyes. His breathing was shallow. Emma though, was still awake, though barely. She pulled her legs up to her chest and scooted closer to Uncle Paton. She needed some comfort and warmth, even if the giver wasn't really conscious.

Just ten minutes later, a very tall, chestnut haired woman came strolling up to the sleeping party. When she saw Emma and Paton she smiled. Paton was lazily lounging, his arm around Emma who was huddled between Paton's arm and side. Her head was on his rising chest.

Julia walked behind her two favorite people in the world.

"Emma," she whispered. Emma woke up but all she saw was Paton's shirt. "Back here." Emma looked behind her.

"Aunt Julia!" She jumped up on her knees and hugged her aunt's neck. Paton was awakened by the jubilation and smiled at his wife. She kissed him and stared back at Emma.

"Do you want to go home honey?" Emma nodded.

The next morning, Emma woke up at nearly eleven o'clock. She took a much needed shower, and got ready to go to the hospital. Downstairs, Julia and Paton were catching up about the past week's events. He told her all about Jezebel, and what happened at the school, and how he probably lost one of her clients. She laughed at most of it.

When Emma came downstairs the two fell silent.

"So, what up?" Emma wondered.

"What do you mean darling?" Julia replied.

"Well, seventy five thousand pounds was just stolen from us and someone is in the hospital who…"

"Lyell isn't going to do anything about the money," Paton explained, "He said the school already had enough."

"What about Jezebel?" asked Julia.

"That's the rough part. We can't notify the police because we can't tell them what she did. We can't fight because I don't think anyone wants to risk another…accident." Paton said. He balled his hands in a fist. For a while no one said anything.

"Are you off to the hospital?" Julia questioned.

"Yes." Emma answered.

"Breakfast?"

"No thank you."

"Do you want a ride?"

"No thank you."

Julia gave Paton a look but he did not see it.

A while later, Emma was in the elevator headed up to the fifth floor of the hospital. Jezebel was gone meaning no more of her students, and hopefully no more drama. But that also meant Milly was gone. Emma hadn't really talked very much to Milly, but she seemed nice enough. And she knew that Charlie apparently liked her quite a bit.

When the doors opened to the busy waiting area in the middle of the rooms, Emma was happily surprised. The Vertigo's were there obviously. But there was also Charlie and his parents along with Maisie and Vivienne, Fidelio was holding flowers and Tancred was by Olivia's door. Dagbert was sitting on a couch by Billy and Asa sat near them.

"Hey sleepy head," called Tancred. Emma smiled and walked up to her friends.

"Can we go in?" she asked.

"Yes," answered Mr. Vertigo, "She was awake for a while but fell asleep again. The nurse said only one at a time and Gabe is in there now."

"We were going to call you but uhh…" Tancred trailed off.

"Thank you for letting me sleep." Emma said.

The group began conversation. How happy they were Jezebel was gone, how much they would miss Milly. Someone said something about the conversation on the bathroom mirror and Emma had to explain how Bethany killed Tanya. Bethany was no where to be seen. Charlie remembered how she was supposed to have an endowment. Normally when he thought of someone dying he thought it had to be done by someone who was angry, or was on drugs or something. But those emotions could come from anyone. Anyone with courage. Anyone with a big heart. And anyone with a dazzling smile.

Inside Olivia's room, Gabriel was standing over Olivia, staring down at her. He had no idea what to say. Gabriel had never been in these circumstances. He remembered not going to the Torrsen house to avoid such awkwardness as this. Now that he was here, he felt even weirder. But he needed to do something.

"Liv'," he said, "I can't stand all of this crying. Emma is worried and so are your parents. But you like it when it's like that. All dramatic and stuff. And hey, if you're going to go why not go in a bathtub? Oh I sound stupid." Olivia opened her eyes just a fraction. When she realized Gabe was in her room she pretended to sleep. One of the first things you learn in the Drama Department. "Everyone's probably getting mad at me for taking such a long time." In fact it had only been a couple of minutes. But Gabriel strode over to Olivia, bent down and kissed her on the forehead. "I think you should be familiar with a song called Something There," he whispered to her. And he left. But before he could get all the way out of the room, Olivia sat up and smiled. But Gabe was gone.


	19. Endowment

Endowment

Three weeks later, Lyell Bone was sitting on his big, cherry maple colored chair behind his desk. He smiled to himself and lifted his legs to the surface of the ornate table. Life was good again. This morning he gave a hug to Vivienne and kissed his perfect wife on the cheek before they left. Billy and Charlie were doing well, even though Charlie was a little dismal from Milly leaving. And his school was in working order again. The musical was to be presented the following Thursday thru Sunday. Bethany had taken a few days from school for r and r as well as Olivia. The ruins were patched back up and the new treasury was opened to the school's pupils. But none of this good news could cheer his son. _He'll get over it,_ Lyell thought. But he had not idea how long that would take. It was horrid to see him mope around the school, making his friends uncomfortable. And Charlie had told him a few days ago about the Matilda thing. But still…

Lyell got a call that morning. Mr. Bone loved unexpected callers but lately they had been rather boring. Nonetheless he picked up the phone on his big, official looking desk with a smile.

"Hello, this is Lyell Bone speaking, the headmaster of Bone's Academy how may I help you?" (He loved saying that as well.)

"Oh, uhh, hi," it was a woman's voice. "I was told that you have excellent classes and a very welcoming staff and student body."

"Of course. Whoever you got your information from is correct. We like to keep the atmosphere as friendly as possible."

"Well my daughter said, all she wanted for her birthday, Christmas, Easter, and Holloween, was to go to your school." Lyell didn't know what to say. He hated having to decline people.

"That's quite a complement ma'am, but this school only enrolls those who are truly gifted in the arts. As well as…physically" Lyell had not remembered ever getting a call like this before.

"Sir, my name is Serai Nolle. My daughter is Milly Nolle. She _is gifted._" Lyell let the phone fall to his chest. He let out silent cries of joy and almost shook with happiness. When he had control of himself, he put the receiver back to his ear.

"And are you serious about enrolling her in the classes here?"

"Well ever since my sister-in-law demanded Milly leave her school because she was too _weak_, I am looking elsewhere for schools who can serve her well. Let's just say she gave you a glowing review…and your son." Lyell laughed greatly.

"When can I expect you and your family?"

"Give us two days Mr. Bone." Serai giggled delightedly. Milly had been thorough indeed.

"Sounds perfect. I'll have the papers ready for you."

"Thank you sir." And the line was cut.

Mr. Bone rocked back in his chair. _I have a good school_, he thought to himself. _Thank you Red King. _

The next thing he did was pick up the phone to his children's classes. They would be the first to know.

Two days later; Charlie was sitting in the front seat of his dad's car. Billy was in the back.

"You nervous to see Milly?" Lyell asked his son. Charlie tore his gaze from the window and looked at his dad.

"Why would I be?"

"Well you two were dating last time I knew." Charlie's eyes grew to the size of softballs.

"Who did you…?" Billy and Lyell were cracking up. Something was going on.

"Let's just say you have a _very _loyal brother." Lyell explained. He reached his hand back and gave Billy a hi-five.

"I'm not even in this family anymore," Charlie mumbled with a smile; and turned his attention back to the buildings whizzing by.

When Lyell pulled up to the curb of the school he asked Billy to leave the car. When he was gone Lyell sat back in his seat and waited.

"_This is very familiar,"_ Charlie stated accusingly.

"Yes, it seems like things have come full circle."

"_Oooh,_ how poetic." Charlie replied sarcastically.

"I just wanted you to see how things have progressed. Do you realize why your mom and I were concerned about you and Vivienne?" Charlie nodded robotically. "And you realize why we wanted you to get along?" Charlie nodded some more. "And you realize that I was right about the jealousy thing." Charlie stopped nodding.

"Maybe a little," he mouthed and put two fingers up for a visual.

"But you don't hate each other any more, right?"

"I wiped her mouth with a napkin this morning," he said.

"Okay, okay just checking. And I thing that's a music bus down the road."

Charlie looked. It was. He got out of the car and walked to the fountain patio. He was shaking with excitement. He tried to hide it by folding his arms but he just bounced up and down like a giddy five year old during Christmas. He saw Emma coming from the other side of the road. She full out sprinted across the road to beat the bus.

"You have no idea how much you look like Uncle Paton right now," she whispered.

"What?" Charlie said with alarm. Grandma Maisie must be right.

"Well. You have the expressionless face, the arms crossed and the disgusted scowl. Almost perfect." Charlie glared at her. He had been smiling this whole time.

The music bus came to a screeching halt like only school buses can. The doors opened. People came out that Charlie talked to maybe twice a year. Then there was Gabriel.

"Hi Gabe," Charlie said preoccupied.

"Yeah, yeah, she's on there." Next came more people Charlie didn't really know. Then there was Fidelio.

"Guess who sat with me Charlie," Fido said. But Charlie wasn't really listening. He was looking behind Fidelio. Milly watched her feet going down the steps, but when she was safely on ground, she ran at Charlie. He returned the embrace. Only he decided to lift Milly's legs off the ground which she wrapped around his waist.

"So Jezebel officially rejected you," Gabe asked.

"Yep!" Milly squealed from Charlie's arms as he swung her around.

"Yesssssss!" Fidelio said rather theatrically.

"That's what I thought." Milly agreed. Charlie put her down

"Can I take some of your bags?" Milly had three. Obviously a school bag and one with clothes and another one. This was what most people carried in on the very first day of the semester.

"Yeah, Jeez Milly are you planning on staying or what?"

"I was hoping so," she shot back. Something told Charlie that Milly would fit right in.

That Saturday, everyone wanted to hang out the old way. The old way being at Ingledew's, eating cookies, drinking lemonade. The only problem was that normally when everyone was together they were trying to rid the city of evil. That wasn't really the case today.

So Charlie went to the Nolle's new house. It was about two blocks from Diamond Corner so he could walk…_whenever_ he wanted. Charlie walked up the sidewalk and rang the door bell. A very young man opened the door. He had the same fiery orange hair as Jezebel.

"Uhh," Charlie was very surprised. "Hi. Is this the Nolle house?"

"Yes," the man replied harshly. Then Charlie heard,

"Dad? Oh Dad! What are you doing?"

"What?" 'Dad' asked behind him.

"Hi Charlie!" Milly was putting on a pair of flip flops in the hallway beyond.

"Oh! Charlie?" The man asked.

"Yeah," Charlie replied.

"My apologies! My name is Julius." Charlie shook the man's hand.

"Nice to meet you sir." Charlie was very relieved. Julius reminded Charlie of Asa, in about ten years. It was weird to look him in the eye.

"Gloves, no gloves? Long sleeves?" Milly said from within the house.

"Honey there's one in the kitchen." That was a woman's voice. She was even deeper within the house.

And that was the first time that Charlie noticed Milly had been roaming around the house in shorts and a tank top. This was very confusing. So Milly had to dress funny for school but not when she was at home. What in the world was her endowment?"

Finally, as Milly was tugging on a shirt with sleeves, she stepped out on the sidewalk.

"Okay, off to _Ingledew's_," she said sassily.

"Very good!" Charlie complemented. Milly laughed. She lookd back at her dad who said,

"He insults you, so you laugh." He was actually confused, but closed the door with a smile.

Fifteen minutes later, the duo was walking into the bookstore. Most people were already there. Cookies were baking in the oven and a pitcher of lemonade sat on the counter.

"Milly," squeaked Olivia.

"Hi!" Milly signed something to Bethany. This talent of hers had been uncovered yesterday when Bethany, Naren and Milly were having a silent conversation.

"Hey!" Emma called from somewhere, "Uncle Paton wants to know what kind of pop you want for the pizza." She walked out from behind the curtain. A phone was at her ear.

"Sprite," someone said, "Mountain Dew!"

Hours later, when the pizza, cookies, and lemonade were downed; Emma, Charlie, Milly and Olivia sat in the back room, smiling about something that was said. Julia was getting more drinks and Paton was taking out the trash.

"So, Milly how old are your parents?" Charlie asked after a pause in the conversation. She didn't say anything for a few moments.

"Technically, or physically?"

"Whoa! What does that mean?" Olivia asked.

"Man, her parents look like they're in their late twenties!"

"Wow! What moisturizer do they use?" Emma asked jokingly.

Julia came in just then. She made the rounds, asking if anyone wanted more to drink.

"Milly? Would you like some?" Julia was holding a tray and put one hand on Milly's lower back. Milly didn't notice that her shirt had ridden up, until it was too late.

At first, Julia sounded like she was just short of breath. But those sharp breaths became minor yelps of pain.

"Auntie?" Emma said confused. "Are you okay?"

Julia dropped the platter. She fell to her knees. It looked like she was trying to scream, but nothing came out. Fear filled her eyes, and perhaps confusion.

Milly was there too. She was tensed up against the couch. Her arms were straight and her fists clenched. She kept arching her back against the back of the sofa, and then releasing. Milly's eyes were snapped shut and she was moaning. And then Charlie, in all his shock, remembered what Milly had told him. _"Because it hurts, and it's weird and I don't like doing it…" _This was her endowment, playing out right in front of him. Charlie watched Julia's arms fall from her back. Milly let out a sigh like she had just given birth. Julia crumpled to the floor.

"What did you do?" asked Emma. Anger sliced through her voice.

"She's fine," Milly said. She was winded. Suddenly from the floor, Julia grunted.

"That was very…" Julia came up and every person there's mouth dropped.

Julia Ingledew. She was different, very different. Her face was very smooth, unlike the face that was just there ten seconds ago. There were no freckles, no age spots. It was a smooth even color. The crows feet that were beside her eyes were completely gone. She no longer had bags under her eyes. Her face was perfect. Like she had taken a trip back in time. And that wasn't the only thing. Her arms were smooth and strong looking. Her hands weren't bony and wrinkled; they too were smooth and perfect. And the grey hairs that had speckled her chestnut hair were gone. In fact, her hair was a deeper shade of brown than it had been before. She looked like a super model.

"What?" Julia asked.

"Auntie, you need to look in a mirror." Emma advised. Julia looked around.

"Oh! I have one!" Olivia rummaged around in her huge bag and brought out a little compact mirror. She tossed it to Julia.

"Oh, I dropped all the lemonade. But then she looked in the mirror.

Her hand went up to her mouth. She started laughing; a smile was half hidden behind her hand. She poked her face. She pinched it and let go. She ran a finger along and around her eyes. She eventually looked down at Milly.

"I'm so sorry! I just didn't feel your hand and then it just happened!"

"_What _just happened?" Emma urged. Milly took a big breath.

"I was just going to tell you." She said first, "Julia has just gone from… how old are you?"

"Fifty two," Julia said rather hesitantly.

"She has just gone from fifty two to thirty in a matter of seconds."

"Is it permanent?" Julia asked. Was that hoped in her tone?"

"Yes," Milly replied slowly.

"Oh! This is a miracle!" shouted Julia.

"You like it?" Milly questioned. She was obviously confused.

"Well, not the pain, but I like _this_." Julia motioned to her body and did a little hip action. Emma laughed.

"I mean, what I do, my endowment, is to reset people to an earlier time in their life just by touching them. I can't turn it on or off, it just happens. That's why I have to wear gloves."

"Is there any way around it?" Charlie said.

"Yes, I would need to touch you five times."

"Five!" exclaimed Olivia. "But, by then you'd be separated back into a blob of cells. Right?"

"Only for a few moments. It takes off a month or so."

"Then why did it do that to Aunt Julia?" Emma wondered.

"Because I wasn't expecting it. If I know I'm going to touch someone, I can control it more."

"This is unbelievable!" Julia said dreamily.

"Wait! I haven't told you everything yet! When I touch people, I reset everything. Their thought processes, how they did things…certain…_cycles._" Charlie made a face. "And, there's one more thing. The date of your death is still the same as it was as long as it would have been by natural causes."

"Oh, really?" Julia said. It was the first thing she'd said that sounded of regret.

"Yes, you will still die when your old body breaks down. The year of your death, you will contract many sicknesses and your real age will take its place again."

"I have plenty of time."

The bells in the front room jingled.

"Oh, Milly do it for Paton." Julia pleaded.

"Do what for Paton?" He had made it to the back room in record time and sounded gruff. "JULIA!"

Julia, just smiled and swayed back and forth.

"Whatever is the matter Paton?" she said innocently. Paton was bewildered. He looked around at all the smiling faces. Milly, though, hid her face. Mr. Yewbeam started to sort of hyperventilate. He brought up a finger.

"WHAT HAPPENED!" He screamed.

"What has happened?" Paton asked a little more under control. Milly looked like she was going to cry. He was still very perplexed, he had not taken one step into the back room.

"Tell him," Julia beamed. Charlie nudged Milly.

"My endowment," she began, her voice was about to spill over. She swallowed to get it more under control, "is to reset people to somewhere they have already been."

"You have _got_ to be kidding me." Paton said. He never took his eyes off of his beautiful wife.

"That was quick," Milly said. "As you have already guessed I can make you younger. All I need to do is touch you. And, as I have told Mrs. Yewbeam," Julia smiled even wider, "I have not added time to her life. She will still die when her old body naturally breaks down. Your last year, you will contract sicknesses and your old body will resurface."

"So it's like you have two bodies," Paton stated.

"Yes, do you understand?"

"Of course, it's not rocket science. But what keeps you from accidentally touching one of us again?"

"When I take so much time from your physical body, my endowment will never be able to work on you again."

There was a pause of thinking.

"That's why your parents are so young!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Indeed. I can hug them, kiss them and my endowment refuses to work."

Mr. Yewbeam still had not moved from his state by the curtain. He was thinking, and looking at Julia. He combed his fingers through his long black hair that had silver scattered throughout.

"Paton," Julia said, "Milly said that when she resets you, it makes _everything_…younger. Your personality, the way you think your energy level."

"You see my dear; in my twenties was when I was most vial. That was when I was angriest. I could not put you through that."

"Paton please. We can learn together, just as we always have."

Charlie could see his uncle was really wresting with this. And he couldn't imagine an uncle even more unfriendly than Uncle P had been a few years ago.

"Actually, the mental change is not as harsh as the physical change. I've never tried it before, but I could try to keep your mentality from changing too much."

"How is that even possible?" Paton said angrily. But Milly was not shaken.

"When I start taking, I can feel what is being done. So maybe I can block it."

"Maybe," Paton scoffed. Then he looked back at Julia. "This is what you want?"

"Well, if you don't want to be younger for the rest of your life then you don't have to. But you still have to live with me."

"I suppose I do." Paton looked around, "Fine." He nearly spat.

"I can't believe this is happening," Charlie covered his face.

"How do you think I feel," Emma said, "I have to live with _them_!"

"Well I think it's just lovely." Olivia cooed.

"Well I think it's just lovely," Charlie mocked. Olivia gave him an angry stare.

"Umm, Mr. Yewbeam. I'm terribly sorry to say this, but the more bare skin I can come into contact with, the better things will be." His face fell even lower than it had been.

"What are we talking?"

"Both of my hands and my legs… on your back. I would have to take off my tights."

"I'll show you to the bathroom," Emma said

In a few minutes, Paton had rid himself of his shirt. He was sitting on the floor cross legged. Milly and Emma came in. Milly was showing off her arms and she no longer had tights on. Paton flipped over.

"Oh," Milly moaned. Mr. Yewbeam's spine was poking through his skin like a dinosaur.

"Yeah, yeah," Paton was very uncomfortable. The only reason he was doing this was to make Julia happy. That was really the only reason he did anything now. For her.

"I don't want to break your spine," Milly cried.

"I promise you will do no such thing." Paton assured her.

With no further ado, Milly crouched down and put one knee on one side of Paton's back and her other knee, on the other side. Paton clenched his teeth together and started breathing heavy. His teeth chattered. Milly tried to warm her hands before placing them on the man's shoulder blades. The grunts began. Mr. Yewbeam's face was blank with pain. He was taking it very well. And so was Milly. Her eyes were shut, but not like before. She was very concentrated. And in a few seconds, she tumbled off the man's back. Now Milly was in pain. She held herself as she tried to catch her breath. And Paton gave a sigh into the carpet. He let his forehead fall to the ground.

"Milly?" Charlie asked. He dared not go near.

"I'm good," she said letting go of herself. "How's your uncle?" Charlie looked down.

Paton got up on his knees and stretched. He rolled his neck and then stood. Charlie smiled. The same thing had happened to Uncle P. He was much younger. His face, even more chiseled and dark than it had been before. His skin was smooth and white. Paton's hair had gone back to black. Like the black it was after he drank the vervain, so many years ago.

"Oooh, Paton!" Julia squealed. She gave him his shirt. Paton on the other hand, was not smiling.

"Uncle P?" Charlie said. Everyone just stared, waiting for him to do something. And then a smile slipped his lips.

"This…feels…stupendous!" he said. And he tugged on his shirt.

"How's the brain?" Milly asked getting up from the floor.

"Well he's still using big words," Charlie laughed.

"Maybe we should go," suggested Olivia after one look at Julia and Paton. They were just staring at each other…for now.

"I agree," Milly said. She grabbed her clothes and Charlie herded the girls from the backroom and out the front door.

When Charlie and Milly had made it back to her house they stood on the little porch area for a while.

"Will you do it to me?" asked Charlie, "The five touch thing?"

"Sure!" Milly dropped her shirt and tights on the ground and grabbed Charlie's left hand. _One, two_. She counted. That was all it took. The right hand, _one two._ Charlie's heartbeat quickened. He felt sick, just a little. Or maybe it was nerves? He licked his lips and stared right into Milly's dark chocolate eyes. Milly held Charlie's neck in one hand, _one two_. And then in the other hand, _one two_. She smiled at him.

"That was four," Charlie inquired. And then Milly caressed his face and stepped closer to her tall, dark and handsome man. Charlie moved forward, and forward. Milly could feel his breath on her nose. Charlie bent down, but Milly pulled away, opened the door and shut it in his face. One of their hobbies, besides sarcasm and slashing each other's dreams, was making each other feel uncomfortable.

"Milly!" Charlie yelled, and he kicked the stones.


	20. Epilogue

Epilogue

About two months later, it was very early in the morning. Julia Yewbeam woke up as the sun was just hitting her face as it flooded through the window. Her arm was on her husband's chest who was still fast asleep. Her wedding set gleamed in the sunlight. Indeed this man had splurged on her. She flipped the covers back and got silently out of bed. She walked to her dresser, acknowledging the three pictures that now sat on top. One: of her and Emma in the swings at the park. Two: of her and Paton on their wedding day. And another one. One she had taken at the hospital with her phone. The one of Paton and Emma sleeping beside each other.

Julia opened the top drawer and pulled out a little box she had bought from the drug store. _Are you? Or are you not?_ It said. She rushed out of the room and to the bathroom. And in thirty seconds she had her answer. The little digital letter appeared just as it said on the box. _Y. _

Julia laughed, and smiled. She covered her mouth with a hand and scrambled back to her room. She hopped on top of Paton's chest and shook him.

"Paton! Paton get up!" she said through her tears. He obeyed groggily.

"What's wrong?" he said.

"It's not wrong," she said shaking her head. Paton wiped a tear from her eye. "I'm pregnant!"

Paton's facial expression went from horror to surprise to a smile in record time. He grabbed Julia and kissed her. They fell back on the bed laughing.

"We have to tell Emma," Julia said. She crawled off the bed. Paton followed. They went down the hall and slipped into her room.

Emma was sprawled out on the bed. Her aunt, Julia was sure she learned her sleeping habits from Paton. Nonetheless, she sat calmly on the bed and cooed Emma awake.

Emma got up and did a scorpion stretch, and then flipped over.

"I'm going to have a baby!" she said. Emma smiled.

"What?" she really thought they were joking.

"She is," Emma covered her face.. She gave her aunt a hug and they both started laughing.

Paton looked down at his boxers.

"I should go put on some pants." And he left.

Today, was Saturday and the Bone's were getting ready for a picnic. Amy was slicing cheese, Maisie was packing the food, Lyell was pouring drinks and Charlie was making sure Vivienne was happy. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

Vivienne opened it.

"Uncow Paton!"

"Hi darling," he said and brushed her aside. Then came Julia, she did much of the same. Emma, though picked her up and walked to the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Charlie asked Emma.

"Just listen."

Inside the kitchen Julia was whispering something into Amy's ear. Her eyes grew wide.

"Julia!" Amy hugged her and put a hand on her stomach. "When did you find out?"

"This morning," Julia said.

"Paton Yewbeam! Are you going to be a daddy?" Maisie said. Tears filled her eyes.

"I do believe that's how it works yes." Paton replied. Maisie gave him a hug.

"Oh my gosh," Charlie said.

"I know right?" Emma countered him.

That night, was the opening day for the Bone's production of Beauty and the Beast. Every one of Charlie's friends was going to be there to support Olivia and Asa, but he and Milly had their own tickets. This was their first date. However, before Charlie had gone into the auditorium, his father had warned him,

"If I need to separate you two, I may be using a special sword," Lyell said sinisterly.

"You still have that thing?" Charlie asked.

"Well, you can't really take it to the recycling warehouse."

"Don't worry."

Gabriel was also there. Olivia and he weren't really dating, but just as he had said there was something there and they both knew. And instead of a real kiss that was supposed to happen, Olivia and Asa pulled off a very convincing stage kiss. Olivia never told him that she was fully conscious in the hospital.

If Charlie had learned anything through the past three months, it was that love was hard to get. Sacrifices had to be made and trust had to be earned. If you tried to rush any one of those things, it would be disastrous. And the other was that, to get to good times, you had to go through hard times. And sometimes it was a very hard time. But it was worth it in the end. Yeah, in the end.


End file.
